Black Frost
by Blackened Silver
Summary: Sirius Black hated Christmas with family, more so because they spent it with another, The Frosts. When their outcast daughter from Ravenclaw is made his betrothed he needs to find out more about her, could this turn ugly or rather deadly ? BEING REVISED!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Alright People ! This is the revised chapter ! I am revising all chapters to get them more in the flow, and am correcting all the mistakes. Seriously, you all are great! I HATED it when I read it all over again ! :O **

**But It's all good now ! :D **

**Disclaimer- Anything owned by J.K. Rowling is not mine. The rest, IS ! **

"Bloody Bitch!" thought Sirius Black spitefully.

He had just had another one of those ritual spats with Evelyn Frost. The Frosts and The Blacks spent Christmas together. Every year, every fall. He hated every living moment he spent out of Hogwarts because it inadvertently meant it was time to spend some time with 'family'. But family time wasn't pleasant for Sirius, it had never been but to keep up the facade to the wizarding world and of course to the Frosts they had to put up the act. This was another fall being spent by the two families together. It had come in Sirius's sixth year. The year he had finally come of age. He was going to move out of the Ancient-not to mention blasted-House of Black in the coming summer. To hell with the act and the name of black. He had had enough.

If Sirius Black was the only one in his family to be sorted into Gryffindor, Evelyn was the only one in her family to be sorted into Ravenclaw. Though that might have been acceptable with the Blacks it most certainly wasn't with the Frosts. They were everything their name was, cold, frigid, and unmoving. The day she had been sorted in Ravenclaw she knew that her life had been damned. When she had gone up to her dorms there was a dark green envelope lying on her bed contrasting in colour with her deep blue sheets. On opening the envelope she found a black sheet with elegant silver script. What the text read was not so elegant though. She had been told that she was a disappointment and a disgrace to their name and of course it went without saying that hereby her life was finished.

Though Sirius and Eva were in similar situations, it didn't stop them from being at each other's necks. The animosity had started from something as childish as pulling the girl's hair to which she retaliated by kicking him in the shins. Though the actions had been childish, the dislike instilled in each for the other's actions was anything but childish. He hated her and she maintained that the feeling was mutual.

Another result of the hate was the aforementioned spat which took place on a windy winter morning.

The Frost Mansion was, frosty. At this time of the year the owlery, yes the owlery, was possibly the coldest spot in the entire estate considering it was situated in the highest tower of the North Wing of the Mansion. And as is expected to be done in the owlery Eva had come to send some letters in the wee hours of the morning. Though she had expected it to be empty at that hour, much to her dismay it wasn't and further to her disgust it contained Sirius Black.

He was bent over a piece of parchment and was chuckling to himself. His black hair was falling into his stone gray eyes and his lips were curved into an evil smirk. Though she would never admit it aloud and least of all to him, he was fractionally good looking. He had pale smooth skin stretched across his aristocratic features and playing in the Gryffindor Quidditch tea as a beater had lent him a sculpted physique. It was not surprising why half the female populace at Hogwarts had given his ego the unnecessary inflation if you added the 'bad boy' image he had created for himself at Hogwarts. He and his band of hooligans calling themselves 'the Marauders'. The name itself made her snort.

"What are you doing here?" she asked brusquely.

The voice startled Sirius. He looked up to find a girl with raven curls thrown up messily into a ponytail letting a few tendrils fall loose. Her pale skin was flushed pink with the cold wind blowing in her face. But when not flushed, he found her to be simply colourless. Her eyes were black. As black as they get, and her lips were contrastingly pale. She may have painted a pretty picture albeit black and white, if she wasn't her usual scowling self. It wasn't surprising that she didn't have a crazy number of friends. Who would want to befriend the bloody bint? On being startled out of his work a look of caught-guilty flitted across his face but he soon composed himself into his usual smirk.

"Trying to find a place where you won't haunt me. But it seems like I'm fighting a losing a battle isn't it?"

"I have better things to do and probably better people to haunt than you Sirius Black. So kindly come down to earth." She said moving to the nearest snow white owl to tie the letter to its leg.

Sirius snorted, making her turn around and glare at him challengingly. He matched her glare for a while before walking towards her slowly, not breaking eye contact even for a moment. When he was barely a foot away from her he stopped.

"You know Frost, I would advise you to stay out of my way. Considering I'm of age now, and that I know more spells than you will ever come across, I can do a considerable amount of harm to you." He said softly.

Black eyes clashed with grey for a while as both refused to back down. When a slight smirk of triumph started playing at the corners of his lips, Eva came up with her response.

"Black you forget. I am in Ravenclaw. I have not only come across but I also _know _more curses than you can even imagine. And you being of age doesn't really matter much does it, considering I too am of age." She replied in an equally soft but menacing tone.

Before he could utter another word, she turned back to the now annoyed owl that had held his leg outstretched all this while. Eva was just about tie the stack of letters to the owl when the sound of those unmistakeable footsteps froze her into place.

"Evelyn, what are you doing up here at this unearthly hour? You should go down. Now." Spoke a middle-aged woman in a commanding tone. Eva knew better than to stand up to her mother, simply nodded and moved to the exit archway.

"Wait, what do you have in your hands?" she spoke in the same hard tone.

"M-Mother, they are j-just some l-letters. Nothing r-really." She stuttered.

"Well then give them to me, I'm sure I can post them later."

Eva hesitated, but knew it was to no avail so she shakily handed over her letters to the woman. Sirius meanwhile had slunk out of the owlery leaving her and her mother alone.

"Now Evelyn, though I know not to expect much out of you, I do believe you can at least attempt to look civilised for tonight's dinner. We have a very important announcement to make and I want you to be at your best behaviour and appearance. There will be a lot of people attending and the least you can do is not disgrace us any further." She finished giving her daughter a hard look.

Eva just nodded and then took her leave, knowing that tonight was not going to be a night she would want to remember.

**A/N: Review for the Revised? :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews and those who have added this on story alert. It means a lot. This chapter is for Jokegirl. Your review was the first review of my life and it really made my day. And for Gaia, thanks and here is the update. **

**Disclaimer: Anything under copyright here is not mine. **

CHAPTER-2

Meanwhile, Sirius had quietly snuck out of the owlery. That beast of a woman reminded him too much of his own mother. He wondered if these pureblood mansions were charmed to reflect their names, his house was as dark as it could get. There were hardly any windows, and those that were permanently covered with black curtains. The wall paper varied in shades of black and dark green. Even the silver they used in cutlery hardly shone due to the lack of light. It was a dungeon above ground in the easiest of terms.

While this place, this place was a bloody freezer. Sirius doubted the ice hanging dangerously from the ceiling above him ever melt, even in the spring. As he walked through the corridors which had stone arches open to the frigid gale, his long black hair flying all over his face, he thanked Merlin for his room being down near the dungeons. Though he knew he was probably given the worst room of the lot. He was happy to be away from the cold wind, even if that meant that his view was only limited to the stone yard behind the Mansion. No doubt his mother had specifically asked for the room meaning it to be a constant reminder of the trouble he would get into if he so much as gave a thought to anything out of order. His room was located right above the dungeons. The very dungeons which once used to be used as torture chambers.

He tightened his gray scarf around his neck trying to protect himself from the cold. As he was pulling at one end of the scarf, he bumped into a person. The said person was considerably larger than him and certainly more intimidating. His dark brown hair was cropped short and he held the same pale skin and features as Eva did. Why wouldn't he? He was her elder brother. But fortunately for Sirius he did not have the same scowl his sister had reserved for him. On the contrary his face broke out into a huge grin on seeing who he had bumped into.

"Now, now little Sirius, watch where you step. We wouldn't want us running into some of the giants mother has hanging around would we?" he said falling into step with Sirius.

Sirius rolled his eyes at the older boy beside him. Blake Frost was five years elder to him and was the only living thing within miles Sirius felt comfortable with. He was a good foot taller than Sirius and was probably a foot wider but he was immensely good natured. This surprised Sirius considering he too was in Slytherin.

"I think I just bumped into one, Blake." Scoffed Sirius. "And anyway this place is fit only to house giants, not to mention polar bears. How the hell do you live here?"

"Ah, well you just get used to it I guess." He said, shrugging in a nonchalant manner. "I'm surprised you aren't, you've spent quite a few Christmases here. Haven't you?"

"Unfortunately." Sirius muttered darkly.

Blake sighed. "I don't understand Sirius," Blake knew of his situation very well. The Frost children were not a fan of the pureblood mania either, but they did not go into rebellion like Sirius did. "Why can't you just act in front of your parents? You don't need to mean anything. Just pretend and act like a typical pureblood."

"You don't understand." said Sirius simply. He said so because it was the truth. Blake wasn't a pureblood freak himself but put up the act. Though Sirius knew it would make his life considerably easier to do so, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He guessed he was too much of a Gryffindor for it.

Eva was walking in a daze. Her thoughts were whirling and she obviously wasn't paying attention as she walked down the spiral staircase leading to the corridor along which her room lay. Her mother had taken her letters and she knew she would be in trouble for writing them. She had written them to her muggle born and half-blood friends asking them how they were doing. Luckily she had managed to send their presents earlier by the owl post earlier the same week. But that hardly mattered considering her mother would now be intercepting the owls and would soon find out about the presents.

Eva sighed as she opened one of large double doors leading to her room. She was glad Blake had managed to convince her parents to let her keep the room. It was one of the few places in the mansion where she felt secure. She hadn't wanted to let it go and thankfully she didn't have to.

The walls were covered in a light minty green colour while the floors were a spotless white. Her bed had a darker green canopy with green and blue sheets. One of the walls was hidden by the numerous books covering every inch of it. A fire lit in the corner kept the room warm despite the cold outside.

Eva took her usual place on the cushions beside the only large French window in her room where she spent most of her time reading. The cover of the book which she picked up now, read 'Crystal Carvings'. It was about a young girl who was a very powerful seer and how her prophecies affected many lives. She sat by the window reading the book, effectively blocking out her worries. But this comfort too was not meant to last as those familiar footsteps again broke her cocoon. Her back stiffened into awareness and her eyes flew up to see her mother enter the room.

Eva immediately stood up on her feet on seeing her enter. Her mother was a woman to be feared and Eva didn't want to be in a further intimidated position. Her mother's dark eyes were cold and hard and the faint fire in them told Eva, that she knew.

"Evelyn, I have some important matters to discuss here. For starters, I would like to ask you if you remember me ordering you _not _to keep any contacts with those filthy mudbloods?" she asked in a calm tone. It seemed to be the calm before the storm for Eva.

"Yes, mother." She flinched at the word _mudblood_ but replied quietly not daring to look up from the white on the floors.

"Well in that case we will be dealing with these matters later tonight. We can't have any abrasions on your clear skin for tonight can we? Now," she said, proceeding to clap her hands for a small house elf to appear with many cases much too large for her frame. "I expect you to be ready by seven this evening. Don't bother to come down for lunch I will have it sent up here. And please do allow this elf to help here to help you. She may just manage to make you look decent."

The last few words that her mother spoke fell on deaf ears. Eva was scared stiff for what she knew was headed her way later that night after the dinner. Her mother left the room without sparing another glance. Eva slumped into her bed and ran her fingers through her curls making them frizz. She had suffered her mother's wrath before for other reasons but this time; she knew she was in for much worse.

As soon as Sirius got back to his room he sat down on his desk to finish writing his letter to James. He was writing the same in the owlery before he was so rudely interrupted by her. He was just about to finish writing it when his mother stepped into the room, her black robes billowing around her. Sirius immediately muttered a spell to clear the parchment of all the ink. He could not have his mother reading that letter. He would now have to write it all again later.

"Bloody hell." He cursed under his breath.

**A/N: Thanks for reading this chapter and this author's note. I am looking for a beta, I PMed one yesterday but got no response. Should I wait longer? I know I am very impatient. If anybody is interested, please PM me. Thanks. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: thank you Gaia. :D I am glad you found this okay even without being Beta-ed. I am still looking for one, so if ANYBODY is interested. Please message me. I would also like to say that I am updating this for the second time today-yes I am-out of luck and because I am very excited about it. But the point is, don't expect many updates after a while because my school will be opening and that will make updating tough. I hate school and I hate class 11. But still I'll try my level best to update. And yeah, Thanks for reading. :D**

**Disclaimer: anything under copyright here is not mine.**

Sirius muttered another few choice words before feeling his mother's eyes on him. He looked up to find her giving him a disdainful look, as if she regretted ever giving birth to him. Sirius held no doubt that she did. He matched her look with a glare of his own which clearly said the feeling is mutual. The look in the grey eyes he had inherited hardened and he braced himself for what was coming.

"You may sit."

"No, I think I am fine here." said Sirius coolly.

"Sit down. Now" said his mother in a hostile tone.

Sirius glared at his mother for a few more minutes before grudgingly taking a seat at the edge of the bed. As soon as she saw him take his seat, she started slowly pacing back and forth glancing at him every now and again. Finally she came to a stop before him and taking a seat on the same bed but a fair distance away from him, she spoke,

"Sirius tonight is a very important night for you and the House of Black. You have turned seventeen a month ago- don't give me that look boy, I remember perfectly well-and it is time for you to take charge of your duties. Though you have already tainted our reputation in the wizarding world by being sorted into that house, it is nevertheless time to make up for it to an extent. Your broth-"

She was going to continue speaking but she stopped abruptly when she saw him stand up. Sirius had had enough. He had heard his mother speak about how great his brother was and how despite being elder he should learn from him, a bit too many times for his liking. This was one of the many reasons why he had never felt as if he had had a mother or a family. He hated his brother for being the ideal son while he was far from it in his parent's eyes. Though Regulus had never messed with him, keeping out of the way for most of the time, he couldn't help but hate him for that too.

"Mother, honestly I don't understand. If I am such a disgrace to the blasted name of Black, why do you keep me around? You make me come back every Christmas for what? And really mother, we both know very well that there is nothing anybody can do to make you accept me. So why even try?" he spoke the last four words in a low voice full of contempt.

"Well, if that's the way you will have it." She said, standing on her feet, her grey eyes now sending a cold glare to her son. "I expect you to be ready by seven. You robes are in the closet. Just make sure you are at your best behaviour. Uphold the little dignity we have left."

With that and a threatening glance she left the room and her son.

Eva was still in the same position with her hands in her hair when she felt a small hand shaking her knee.

"Miss? Can Miss hear Binky?"Eva looked up to find a small house elf with wide eyes, staring at her worriedly. "Isn't Miss feeling well? Which potion should Binky get for Miss?"

Eva laughed at the worry etched in Binky's face. Is she was worried about her now, she would probably faint if she saw her after tonight.

"Binky, I am fine. Don't fret. You don't have to bring me any potions."

Binky's worried face immediately relaxed into one of relief. Binky was devoted to Eva and Blake because they were the only ones in the mansion who treated her well. She doted on them and did everything she could to help them in any sort of way.

"Miss, the Mistress has asked Binky to help Miss get ready for the ball. We should get started Miss."

_Ball? What Ball? This was supposed to be a Dinner, right? _thought Eva. But it seemed she had voiced her thoughts aloud for Binky was staring at her reproachfully.

"Miss! How could Miss forget? It's Christmas Eve, Miss! This year instead of the Christmas Ball Mistress is holding a Christmas Eve Ball. Surely, Miss knew?"

Eva remembered her mother mentioning something about one when they were returning from the King Cross station for the break. Well, she did forget then. But she was careful not to let Binky get wind of it.

"Yes, of course. I just seem to be a bit muddled. Yes, we should start getting ready shouldn't we?" smiled Eva.

"Is Miss sure Miss is well?" Binky asked suspiciously. But all her suspicions were cleared when Eva gave her a reassuring smile and proceeded to open the several cases Binky had brought with herself.

Eva first went for the largest case. She opened the wooden case to find a dark green silk dress folded neatly in the black velvet of the box. On taking it out, she almost gasped in shock. The dress was a floor length deep green with a strapless corset sewed into it for the top. There was red embroidery on the corset over the bust and the skirt had many layers and folds in the silk making it look fuller than it was. Binky handed her the next case which was the smallest of them all. On opening it she found a large platinum pendant, intricately designed with emeralds and diamonds, there was a companion bracelet having the same design with it. In the other cases there were a pair of green high heels and some hair ornaments. Mrs. Frost had gone out of her way to bring her the very best of luxuries. And for some reason this scared Eva all the more

As Eva bathed, donned the dress and let Binky do the rest she temporarily forgot her worries. She let herself get lost in female vanity for some time. Her mind wandering into several day dreams, she soon lost consciousness of reality.

"It will snow tonight, Miss." Binky's voice brought her out of her reverie.

"Hmm? Yes, yes it seems it will." She said glancing out of the window.

The sky outside seemed to be blocked out of view by a heavy dull blanket. She knew it would be snowing that night. The sight before her eyes reminded her of her father. Her father had passed away on the first day of the new year when she was in her second year at Hogwarts in rather mysterious circumstances. Her father had been a good natured man and it was rather obvious where Blake had got his cheeriness from. Eva remembered, every fall on the first night of snow, she, Blake and her father would go out and play in the snow. Her mother of course would never join them, only look on in disdain from a far window. When she was sorted into her house, Ravenclaw, though her father didn't say anything she knew he was mildly disappointed but he was still very supportive of her and her brother. When her father died, Eva's mother and uncles took care of the family business until Blake finished his education and took over a year ago.

"Miss? Miss!" called Binky's squeaky voice at Eva. Eva was startled out of her reverie once again. "Miss is ready, Miss."

Eva had to keep her mouth from gaping when she saw her reflection in the full length mirror. Her dark curls were done up in a carefully styled up-do, leaving a few tendrils loose framing her face. Her eyes looked darker with the dark lashes and she had a subtle amount of green eye shadow. Her lips were a darker shade than their usual paleness but still not too loud. Her dress clung to her curves well, making her look more feminine than ever; the dress though not having any sleeves didn't leave her feeling indecent. The pendant rested on her pale chest and the bracelet came round her creamy wrist and the green heels she wore made her average height seem tall enough. Binky had placed a green ivy ornament, charmed to look as if it was intertwined in her hair. So all together she felt that she looked the best she could, but again she got the feeling of dread for the unknown.

**A/N: thanks for reading. And do leave reviews if you have time. :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Another chapter of Black Frost. :D**

**I would like to thank my reviewers,Priyu0624 and**** SophyMephistopheles** . Your reviews made me write more. And for **for SophyMephistopheles**, I made a point to elongate this chapter for you. :D

**Now for a more serious thing, people I know I said I won't harp for reviews and I don't want to either but 256 hits and only 5 reviews, it just won't do. So please, this is a request, do review!**

**I wrote this chapter after encouragement from Aurora Orchid. Thank you. :).**

**Disclaimer: Anything under copyright here is not mine.**

Since his mother left, Sirius couldn't do much except replay the memories he had accumulated over the years over and over again. The memories did more harm than good to his current mood as the bitterness increased bit by bit.

He had been five when he had discovered he could do magic. His parents had gloated over the fact that he would turn out to be a very powerful pureblood wizard. But their pride soon turned into annoyance when the first magic he did intentionally was a prank. He had been locked in the dark dungeon without food or water for a night, for his first prank.

A couple of years later, at the age of seven, he had first questioned their pureblood policy. He had met an apple seller on the roadside who had given him a free apple as he didn't have muggle currency. The next day there was no trace of the muggle. Sirius knew it was his parents' doing and couldn't help but feel a mixture of guilt and bitterness at his disappearance.

When Sirius had boarded the Hogwarts express, his thoughts were whirling with the various things his parents had drilled into his head before letting him board the train. Though he had felt a deep conflict in his heart, it all flew out of the window the minute he met James Potter. While talking to the messy haired, spectacled boy Sirius realised where his heart truly lay. The elation Sirius felt on being sorted into Gryffindor was somewhat dampened by the howling howler he received in the common room as the entire house looked on.

In second year, Sirius had made it into the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He got the position of a beater in the team, primarily for his accuracy in hitting bludgers and because his captain was impressed with the strength the twelve-year old possessed. But despite qualifying into the team, Sirius had to wait an entire year, using the old school Silver Arrow, until his brother too had gotten into the Slytherin team and they both got their brooms. Sirius' a bit cheaper than Regulus' broom.

After a point, Sirius stopped letting his family affect him. The love and affection which he did not receive from family, he got from the innumerable girls he dated. And of course he had a new family inside Hogwarts, the Marauders.

Somewhere in the mansion a clock's gong hitting six times, brought Sirius out of his memories and told him to get a move on and get ready. Sirius showered and dried his long hair before moving to the closet where according to his mother, some robes were kept. Sure enough there lay a set of expensive black robes in the first shelf of the closet. The material feeling soft yet firm under his hands, Sirius spotted a bottle green waistcoat to be worn under the robes. Trust his mother never to leave out green in anything. He wore a crisp white oxford shirt under the green and black layers and wore a pair of shiny black shoes. Before he knew it he was ready. Though he had contemplated pulling his hair back for a more formal attire, he settled for simply combing through it to leave it open.

Once he was satisfied with his appearance in the mirror, he left his room strolling towards the Grand Hall. As he was passing a heavily decorated corridor he realised he didn't even know what this Dinner/Ball was for. From what he could remember, the Frosts usually kept these kinds of things for Christmas and from what he knew, Christmas was tomorrow. So why take the trouble of arranging it a day earlier?

At the entrance of the hall he saw a familiar back of the head. His younger brother was bent over a blushing girl, flirting shamelessly.

"Regulus!" barked Sirius at the couple. Regulus looked up, annoyed for being disturbed when he had almost gotten himself a date for the ball. The girl meanwhile, saw red and ran from sight. Regulus sighed looking back at the retreating back of the girl before turning to his elder brother.

"What is it Sirius? Couldn't it wait?"

"No." said Sirius flatly. The two siblings made their way into the Grand Hall together, keeping a close watch on any pretty girl that crossed their paths. The halls were done up beautifully. Large statues made of carved ice adorned most parts of the hall. The colour code of the decorations was festive but the green predictably overbore the red. There were creepers growing and twisting themselves over numerous pillars as if they were live but obviously charmed to keep out of the way of the guests. The huge Christmas tree in the centre of the hall too was growing steadily and Sirius was sure the Silver Star on the peak would be touching the ceiling by midnight.

"So what is all this for again?" Sirius asked Regulus as his brother kept his eyes on a rather beautiful brunette. "Regulus!"

"Huh? What?" he answered in a distracted tone.

This time Sirius yanked him by the arm to make him pay attention as he spoke slowly and clearly. "What, is this bloody ball for?"

Regulus' eyes widened at his words. Surely he knew? "Sirius? Don't you know?" he spoke in a hushed tone.

"What? Spit it out brother!" he spoke harshly.

"Sirius, mother was supposed to..."

But what his mother was supposed to do or what his brother finally spat out, Sirius never knew. For at that moment all he had eyes for was the girl gliding down the large marble staircase. The girl seemed to be a little nervous to Sirius, who after being with a number of girls read their body language very well. She wore a floor length strapless bottle green dress with red embroidery and though on any other girl it may have looked awkward, she carried it with such elegance so as to even impress him. Her hair had black curls carefully moulded into a bun but some still hung out adding to the charm. Her cheeks had a faint pink blush on them which made him give a small smile. It was when their eyes met when he recognised her for who she was. It was the same black clashing with his grey as it was earlier this morning. It was Eva Frost descending down the staircase.

Eva broke eye contact with him as Blake offered her his arm and guided her away. On breaking eye contact, Sirius Realised he had held his breath all this time. He couldn't believe his eyes when they told him that the girl they just saw was Eva and what he further could not explain was why his heart was pounding hard against his ribcage.

"Sirius, Sirius!" whispered Regulus urgently shaking his arm. Sirius finally tore himself away to look at his brother, "Sirius, they are calling you on the stage. Go!" he urged.

Sure enough, on the stage stood his mother and Mrs. Frost, staring at him expectantly. As he made his way through the guests, they gave the handsome boy smiles, curious looks and a few a pats on the back. Sirius couldn't for Merlin comprehend why he was getting all this attention or why he was made to go to the stage where Eva stood, seemingly waiting for him. When he reached the stage Blake handed him her arm and he took it graciously. Though Eva had her arm in his, he noticed she was careful enough not to touch him.

The two made their way onto the stage where each of their mothers gave them a quick look over. Though Eva's mother simply nodded at her appearance, Sirius' glared at him for a moment because of his hair but she too shook her head and then proceeded with Mrs. Frost to address the audience of guests.

"Noble Witches and Wizards, today as we know is the Eve of Christmas and before we start with the Ball, we would like to make an important announcement and follow in with the according ceremony." spoke Mrs. Black.

"This night, will be etched into history as the night when two great pureblood bloodlines will be bonded in union." Continued Mrs. Frost, both the women turned back to invite the young couple forward. Once the two teens had come forward, the two women spoke together,

"We are pleased to announce the Betrothal of Sirius Black and Evelyn Frost. The two will have their nuptials in the summer after they are qualified with their respective educations. Please congratulate the couple with a toast."

As the guests raised their glasses of Weed Wine to them, Eva kept a plastic smile plastered over her features. She could see that Sirius had not known of this as he glared at his mother in a mixture of shock and disbelief. She herself had had a similar reaction but at much higher degree considering her brother had to use _silencio _to shut her up. Sirius too would have done the same had he not been standing in front of a crowd of people.

The two acknowledged the toast with a little bow of their own before it was their turn to speak. Eva saw Sirius' face and realised the news had still not sunk in, so she decided to come to his rescue and take her turn of speaking first.

"We would like to thank all present here, for gracing us with your presence. It is a great honour for each of us to be part of such an arrangement which is bringing together two great families. Mrs. Black," she said turning to his mother. "I am grateful to you for accepting me as a future member of your honourable family. I will do my level best to come up to your expectations and not disappoint you."

Mrs. Black smiled at her a twisted smile in response. Sirius stared at her but quickly regained composure when he the saw the pointed look he was being given. He knew that it was now his turn to speak but honestly he did not know what he was supposed to say. He stood mum for a while, trying to form some words to say when a nudge from Eva brought him to his senses. And then the pureblood blood in his veins finally showed itself.

"As my lovely Betrothed here just mentioned, this betrothal will mark the beginning of a long, and with your blessing, successful bond between two of the greatest pureblood families. We as a couple are proud to be the ones through which this bond is being fostered. I would also like to thank Mrs. Frost for giving her lovely daughter's hand in marriage to me. I shall take all measures to make her feel as loved and looked after as she did here. I look forward to having her as a part of family. Thank you."

Once the crowd erupted into applause, the two teenagers breathed a sigh of relief. At least one step was over. The rest would be worried about later. Why Sirius' heart had still not calmed in the close proximity of her? Why did she find him too appealing in these dress robes and open hair, to be considered healthy? And why did Sirius see a flicker of dread mixed with fear in her black eyes?

**A/N: Next chapter the ceremony. Any ideas are welcome. And also if anyone can pin point where the Silver Arrow came from, that person gets a special mention in the next chapter.**

**And I am still looking for a Beta so PM if you are interested. Also this time I say, Please Review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you all my Reviewers. I am sorry for the slight delay in updating, but I have been completing the projects in these couple of days which I was supposed to do over the past couple of months. Anyway, here is the update.**

**Sparkly, I am really glad you liked it and found it intriguing. I hope this update keeps you hooked. :D**

**Amrawo, thanks for the review and for liking it.**

**And a round of applause for ZOEY ZINK ! Yes Madam Hooch did mention the Silver Arrow during Harry's first flying lesson.**

**Disclaimer: Anything thing under copyright, is not mine.**

The two teens fell back after their speeches, waiting for a good moment to leave the stage. Their mothers meanwhile addressed the guests thanking them for their attendance and offering another round of Weed Wine. Honestly, Sirius thought, how could that bat of a woman just go and announce his betrothal to this-this girl. He practically wasn't even a part of the 'Ancient House of Black'. Then why on earth was he being dragged into this without even a warning. Hell with a warning, he did not want a warning for something he didn't even want. He gnashed his teeth as he realised that he hardly had a choice in this. Trust his mother to screw up his already screwed life.

But then he chanced a glance at the girl standing next to him. She was just a couple of inches short of his height but he knew it was all because of the towers she had underneath her feet. But what he noticed or rather that hit him in the face was the look in her eyes. While her face was just a plastic mask her eyes betrayed all her thoughts. The black in her eyes had a cold fire in it. He could almost feel the dread blended with determination radiating out of those dark pools. What he couldn't see was why they were present there. Would he expect disgust? Yes, even incense. But what he saw he couldn't understand. Finally, he decided it was none of his business and he let it go.

When her mother turned round and gave them a look to signal they could leave, Eva offered her arm to Sirius to take. But instead of taking her hand, she saw he was staring at her rather curiously. She stiffened at the sudden attention, or rather lack thereof, and she nudged him again for the second time tonight. He again seemed to get back to his senses and on finding her staring at him with more than a bit of annoyance; he quickly took her arm and guided her down the stage.

As soon as they stepped down, they were engulfed with congratulations, hugs and a few stray kisses for Eva. The women especially threw themselves at the couple announcing how they always knew they would come together, and they were such a perfect couple, and how it was such a noble thing they were doing and how her father would have been so proud. The last sentence made Eva cringe, for she knew this would never be the case. Her father would not have been happy if she was giving up her life marrying her enemy not to mention the bane of her existence. He would want her to be in a happily married life with a loving partner she chose, not the one whose family her mother chose.

Sirius himself was feeling sick in the stomach, he just could not believe why he was being congratulated. For being betrothed to this ancient black and white painting? Well, he had to admit she wasn't all black and white now and was definitely more than a painting but that wasn't the point! He refused to get betrothed to or marry this-this girl. He mentally slapped himself for being so shallow for he just couldn't bring himself to call the girl standing beside him a bint when he had so easily done so the same morning. Of course in the morning she looked very different, which is precisely why he mentally slapped himself, again.

And its then when it struck him. The reason why he couldn't stop patting his back. Mentally. Their betrothal had been announced, but not yet performed. And there was no reason why it should be performed, at least this night. With a sudden turn in composure, he placed his arm around her waist, feeling the shock run through her body. She immediately whipped her face from the congratulating mob to him as if daring him to keep his arm around her waist for a second more. Sirius in turn smiled sweetly at her tightening his grip around her, enjoying the tension running through her body.

"Excuse me, for interrupting. But if you don't mind, I and my lovely fiancée here have a few things to discuss. So if you would be so kind as to excuse us, I would just like to whisk her away for a moment." The people laughed and urged him to go on while Eva still kept her death glare focused on him. She was revolted at the thought of having Sirius Black's arm around her but could not deny the arm itself, was quite... nice. But then again she gathered her thoughts and pulled herself together before they showed up on her face.

"What was the meaning of that, Black?" she challenged, as soon as he had guided them into a darker and more secluded part of the hall.

"What? Oh that! Nothing, nothing at all. But don't deny you enjoyed it Frost." He said with a handsome smirk.

Eva felt a little colour rise into her cheeks and thanked Merlin that it was dark here. "In your dreams Black" she scoffed. "But don't tell me you brought me here in the dark just for nothing."

Sirius' smirk now turned into a mocking evil one. "Why? Are you scared Frost?" he said taking a step closer to her. He did this despite his heart hammered faster and louder than ever, but he was willing to risk it. Why? Don't ask.

"Scared? Merlin no, Black! But if you really have brought me here for nothing, then I can only marvel at your stupidity." She said before turning to leave. But a hand grabbing her arm stopped her from leaving.

"Well, Frost. You won't be marvelling at my stupidity much longer."

"Really? Pray tell me why?"

"Come here," he said guiding her into the darker shadows. "Do you want to marry me?" he said slowly.

A mixture of emotions flickered across her face before she could answer. "What?" she said softly.

"Jeez Frost, I didn't mean it like that. Why on earth would I want to marry you?" at his words a trace of hurt came on her face. Sirius, for some wild reason, felt a pang of guilt when he saw it. But pushing it away, he continued, "What I mean is, I don't want to marry you and I know that you don't want to marry me. So, if we work together, we don't have to marry each other."

Eva was confused. Very confused. "Black? Honestly, are you in your right mind? It's our betrothal. Today. A betrothal magically binds us, you idiot. And they will be calling us for it any minute now."

"I know what a betrothal does to us, thanks for the unnecessary information Frost. But my point is whatever a betrothal does to us, hasn't done it yet has it?"

"Go, on."

"We simply have to delay the betrothal somehow, so that we have some days to figure out how to get out of it!"

After a moment's hesitation or rather thought, she gave in. "Okay, I'm in. But how do we delay it? We have to do something quick, the ceremony could start any minute now." She said urgently. Anything, she would do absolutely anything to get out if this mess. And if anything included joining hands with the enemy, so be it.

Meanwhile Sirius had planted a self satisfied smirk on his face, "Well, I think it is time for a good old-fashioned prank!" he announced.

.**A/N: Well finally a bit of romance between the two! This chapter had more dialogues than the others, but well they were needed. And I personally don't mind them. Now I apologize for the shortness of the chapter, but I was getting guilty for not updating and I thought I had to put up something. So anyway I hope you liked this chapter enough to leave a review. And I hope you do. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Okay people, this is another quick update. I didn't anticipate it but it happened because for once ive got an unexpected holiday ! anyway, another round of thank you's to people who added this story to their favs, alerts etc. and I got my first Fav author too ! :D thank you mskittybits , it means the world to me. :D. now for my great reviewers,**

** i had planned on updating as soon as i got my 10th review, and my what a review it was ! SailingAwaySoftly, you have got to be one of the best reviewers ever, I am so glad you liked Eva, i was beginning to worry she was getting mary sue-ish. anyway your review certainly helped with that. :D now don't pity her so much, she has brains and common sense. and things will turn for the better. :)**

**Sparkly, I am going to do everything i can to keep you hooked and i hope this chapter satisfies you. :D**

**Disclaimer: Anything under copyright here is not mine.**

Eva couldn't help but raise her eyebrows into a questioning position. A prank? Really? That was all his great marauding brain could think of? But then again, it was his marauding brain he was using wasn't he. No wonder he didn't get into Ravenclaw. She shook her head in disgust.

"Seriously, Sirius?" she said her tone mocking at her words.

"What do you mean by that? And really that joke is getting way too old now." He muttered.

"Sirius Black," she said her tone now quite serious. "We have a betrothal to delay if not cancel and all you can think about is a bloody prank?"

"Well, do you have any better ideas?" he challenged back, getting rather annoyed at her behaviour. At his words she furrowed her brow as if in deep thought, he couldn't help but notice that it suited her much better than the scowl she wore around him, even if she did look a bit funny here.

Finally after much thought and no avail, she was getting ideas like putting the mansion on fire or managing to let a troll loose, she relented. "What do you have in mind?"

Sirius smirked a triumphant smirk and she had a sudden urge to wipe it off his face, she would've too, but they had more important things at hand. "That's right. Now follow me." He said as he took her hand and guided her towards a small room right in the corridor behind the Grand Hall. They stopped at the door which had a battered old slate with a messy scrawl he couldn't even decipher. That of course didn't stop him from using it for various purposes.

Eva frowned at the door they had stopped at. She vaguely remembered its use and when she had once hid in here from her mother when she was young.

"Why have we stopped at this old closet?" at a questioning glance from him, she explained. "It was once used as a closet for guests to hang their coats and stuff."

"Aah, that would explain the horrible stink." he murmured. "Well, just you wait Frost, though others don't use this-thing much, I always found good use for it." He grinned at her before taking the door knob in his hand and pulling the door open. As soon as they opened the door, a heap of firecrackers came bounding down to the floor.

Eva took in the sight of all the crackers strewn across the stone floor. She should've known. Black obviously couldn't come up with anything half as mature for his age. Honestly, what were they thinking trying to get her to marry him?

"So this is it?" she seethed. "Your great master plan?"

"I never said it was any master plan, and this is all I've got at such short notice." He shrugged, only succeeding in aggravating her more.

Eva was about to blow up at him over the crackers (note the irony) but managed to contain herself just in time. If this was all they had, this would have to do. She gathered her wits and set herself to think of something, though it was rather hard to do so considering she could feel Black's eyes on her, she finally got it.

Her lips curved into a sly smile as she looked up to meet his gray eyes, "Up for some Christmas Spirit, Black?"

A few minutes later, Eva stood extremely proud of herself as Sirius simply stared at the object in awe. In front of them stood a giant pixie made entirely of firecrackers. It was quite perfect really, from the pointy ears, to the mischievous glare, they knew it was going to be a spectacle. Eva had performed a simple sticking charm on all the firecrackers and had finally transfigured the formless mass into the form of a pixie. After wards she had performed a complicated spell which would make it move into the hall once set alight.

"Bloody Hell, Frost." He said clearly impressed with her work. "I didn't know you could do that."

"And that is precisely why you weren't placed in Ravenclaw you dolt." He looked slightly affronted at her words but she carried on. "The problem is Black, how on earth are we going to explain our sudden disappearance and not having any connection with this?" she said waving her arms at the giant pixie.

Sirius in response simply smirked at her. The smirk was not a mocking one or an arrogant one it was something completely different. It seemed almost-seductive. Eva's notions were confirmed when he took a step towards her, not breaking eye contact, she involuntarily took a step back. He had almost entranced her with his smouldering gray eyes as she felt the wall come up against her back. Her breath hitched at their close proximity, and she could feel her cheeks flush as she broke eye contact and tried to look anywhere but at the other pair of eyes. She felt a finger under her chin guiding her face upwards to meet the stormy eyes. He stared at her apprehensive black eyes for a couple of moments more before leaning down towards her face. Eva could feel her heart hammering at a crazy speed and it had almost stopped when he was just so close.

"Keep that tinge in your face, Frost. And we have nothing to worry about." He said in low deep voice, just a whisper in her ear, before pulling away with a small smirk. He quite enjoyed the effect he had on girls at large, but this- this was different. How, he had no clue. But it was.

Eva had forgotten how to breathe, and it still took a while to absorb what had just happened. She had almost let him kiss her, and the worst part was that he hadn't. Not that she wanted to kiss him, Hell No! But it did wound her pride just a bit to be left like that.

"So, the crackers here have an extra long thread so they won't be going off anytime soon giving us enough time to sneak back in. Is that okay with you?" he said, waiting for an answer. But when he didn't get one he looked back to find her in daze. "Frost? Eva?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah! Okay let's just go then." She said hurriedly.

"Okay..." his voice trailed away. He couldn't understand why she was so vague all of a sudden. "I'll just light these and then we can go." He bent down and quickly lit the thread with a splash of water from his wand, before moving back into the hall with her, the same way they had come.

Once they were back in the hall, albeit in the darker parts, he took her hand in his. If they had to let on what they had planned to, it was necessary. Though she didn't draw her hand away from his, he noted that it was considerably stiffer than ever. But whatever her problems were with him at that point, she didn't let it on, as she smiled and blushed prettily once they were back in the limelight.

They seemed to be just in time as the entire party was hushed and were looking at them expectantly when they walked back in. Their respective mothers of course were on the stage waiting for them, and it was obvious to Eva that her mother for one was slightly annoyed at her disappearance. This only made Eva hesitate in her steps, but a glance from Sirius made her go back to normal.

The two- or rather the couple, in everyone's eyes, walked up the stage gracefully.

_Where was that damned Pixie?_

On reaching the stage they let go of each other's hands.

_What was taking so long?_

They took their respective places beside each of their mothers.

_I swear if it takes any longer, I will-_

They raised their wands to a level, just above the blazing fire in the centre of the stage.

_Oh! Thank Merlin!_

_Finally._

BANG! BANGG! B-BANG!

**A/N: aah the pixie prank ! :D now if you must have noticed i have left out the name of the firecrackers here. Point out the name and you get a special mention in the next chapter ! :D now people, though i love my reviewers and the people who read it, but do try and leave a review. even anonymous is okay. :) and SailingAwaysoftly, please do log in the next time. i would hate to lose a reviewer like you. :D**

**P.s.- I still need a Beta. :(**

**URGENT NOTE: I'm sorry people my 6th chapter got replaced by the first one somehow. it was an honest mistake ! I apologize.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**:** Another chapter ! **

**This one is different, this one has been Beta-ed ! :D yes i finally found a beta, Please Welcome SailingAwaySoftly ! my very first and very great Beta !:D. now thank you all who have been reading this fic because i now have more than 1000 hits ! :D now for my reviewers,**

**Sparkly, I am glad you liked it ! now for their mothers', if you would note in the previous chapters, Sirius' mother had come to speak to him but they had a fight and she left without telling him. Sirius though angry did not show it in front of all the guests. (he does have that much sense), lets just say his mother was relieved. While Eva's mother knew she would not create a scene in front of the guests and Blake had already informed Eva, and she knew that.**

**SailingAwaySoftly, I am glad you like the tension. and i know Sirius is a T*** but would we like him any other way ? :) and yes the crackers were Dr. Filibusters. but as it isn't mentioned anywhere of their origin, i guess we can assume they existed here. and oh, thanks for being my beta. :)**

**Disclaimer:Anything under copyright here is not mine. **

The centre of attention was quickly averted from the stage to the giant pixie now coming gallivanting into the hall through the large oak doors. The air of expectancy immediately turned into panic as the guests, after a stunned moment, ran for their lives. The pixie was alight with hundreds of crackers and was acting like a pixie would, jumping from one corner to the other, screeching at people and hysterically skipping and clapping his hands, as if it was enjoying itself thoroughly. The guests too ran from one place to another, but in their case it was to save their necks. Some of them were howling while the others were doing everything they could to dodge the wild pixie made of firecrackers. None of them were brave enough to come near it in fear of getting severely burnt, thus resulting in no one trying to stop it.

Meanwhile, the four people onstage stared at the sight above them in shock. The two teens were amazed at the effect they had produced: this was way better than Sirius had imagined it to be, and Eva felt a small glow of pride at her handiwork. The two ladies behind them, of course, were aghast at the scene before them. The utter chaos that spread in the hall would do whole lot of good in tarnishing the reputations of their respective families. Mrs. Black had her eyes narrowed at the back of her son's head. This boy would leave no leaf unturned in disgracing them, she thought. While Mrs. Frost had no doubt on how her daughter had played her role in this, she was going to make her regret this if it was the last thing she did.

All of a sudden somebody bellowed a large "STUPEFY" stunning spell which made the pixie stop in its tracks as it was trying to overturn the Christmas tree. Sirius identified the black-haired man with the wand raised as his father, Orion Black. With another whip of the wand, the pixie vanished. He always thought if there was one thing he did not regret inheriting from his parents, it was his father's bravery. Though his slyness overran the bravery, making him a true Slytherin. Sirius' father turned towards the stage giving his mother a brief nod over his head before backing away.

"Ladies and gentlemen," came out Mrs. Frost to speak, "I apologize profusely for the disaster that just took place. It was meant to be a finale for the fine evening but obviously not alive. It seems some spell may have gone wrong as this," she thought quickly, "was certainly not intended. I once again apologize for the inconvenience caused."

The guests meanwhile glared at her, muttering some not-so-pleasant words darkly. As the guests straightened and dusted themselves, the hall itself was changed to its earlier charming state. Meanwhile, Mrs. Black took Mrs. Frost aside to speak to her.

"Irene, I must apologize for the mayhem my son caused. I am sure this is his doing. But I assure you, he _will_ regret this."

Mrs. Frost nodded in agreement, "Yes, Walburga. You must do that. But for this, your son is not the only one to blame. Evelyn has just as big a role in this. It takes very advanced charms to make an inanimate object come to life and I deeply regret allowing the girl to take extra classes." She finished with a look of disgust.

Mrs. Black shook her head in repulsion. These two monsters were like the rotten apples in a basket. Due to one rotten one the entire basket is discarded. She had begun to doubt her decision of allowing this marriage to take place. There were no suitors for either of the two. Even if the suitor would agree, the pureblood family would refuse to stain their own name. Finally, Irene came up with the solution of arranging their marriage together. Though at first she hesitated, considering both of them would be part of her family then, she finally gave in on deciding to herself that she would disown the couple on the very day of their marriage.

"Yes, of course. But at the moment, Irene, do you consider it feasible for the betrothal ceremony to take place now?" When Mrs. Frost gave her a questioning glance, she went on to explain. "At the moment, the guests are not in the best frame of mind; moreover they have already caused us enough trouble. What is saying that they won't do it again during the ceremony? I vote that we postpone the betrothal to a later date and, of course, in the mean time we can take, or rather give, the pain of explaining the situation to them." She finished evilly.

At the last few words, Mrs. Frost allowed a small smirk to grace her face. "Well if you think so, let's let it be." The two then turned to the waiting guests, where Mrs. Frost spoke to them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we can't express our shame for the disgraceful happenings you have been witness to today. The day has had enough unwanted excitement, and I suggest we retire. Of course, the betrothal is being rescheduled, and I suggest it should now be held on the first night of the New Year. Let's hope that will be a more auspicious day than this, and you shall make it more so by gracing us with your presence once again."

Sirius was elated. New Year was six days away and that, he thought, should give them ample time to figure a way out of this mess. While Eva, next to him, froze. She stared at her mother in shock and disbelief. How could the woman forget? Or worse still, how could she be so cold hearted as to put her through this? The 1st of January was the anniversary of her father's death.

This time, Sirius found himself having to nudge her awake. She seemed to be lost in thought. And whatever it was, by the looks of her face, it wasn't good. He nudged her awake and muttered that they were now leaving, so she should make a move. She complied with him without a word.

Once the two were off the stage, Sirius let go of her hand before turning to speak to her. But as he was about open his mouth, he snapped it shut. He saw her staring into space with a haunted look in her eyes. She was confusing him. What was with her? At times she was fiery, while at other times subdued. Mostly she wouldn't stop snapping at him, but sometimes, such as now, she would hardly speak. He was starting to doubt her sanity. He looked at her warily for a moment before shaking that thought away.

"Frost?" he called. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes Black." She snapped at him. "I am not deaf."

"Nice to know," he commented earning himself a death glare. "Well, we have bought us some time now haven't we? Six days is quite enough don't you think? I'm sure you'll be able to find some solution by then."

"I'll be able to?" she wheeled around at him. "Get this straight Black, we are in this together. And as much as I hate to say this, I will need your help. And I'm making it clear now, I will not hesitate in demanding it."

"You don't demand help, you ask-" he started, but another look silenced him from speaking anymore.

They stood in silence for a while, only uttering an occasional greeting to the now departing guests. Once they were all gone and the night had come to an end, Eva knew what was to come and was frightened for certain.

But just before leaving she turned to Sirius, "Meet me in the library at eleven tomorrow morning. We might as well start from there." And without another word, she left him. If she had stayed on a moment longer, she would've heard him groan at the very word "library". Books were something he hated and a room full of them with her? His groan wasn't surprising.

Sirius stared at her retreating back as she made her way through the oak doors and disappeared at the end of the corridor. He had to admit that, for once, he had been proven wrong. Eva Frost was not just a black and white painting. She was painting made in such contrasting colours that they appeared black and white. The 'painter' had made her with much emotion, but it was skillfully hidden. He did not know when, why or how, but he had developed a sudden interest in her. She was an enigma, a mystery, but one which he was going to be hellbent on solving.

**A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. :) the next one should be a bit darker. If you liked this please, Review ! **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello all ! thank you everyone who read, fav-ed, alerted this story. **

**Megera, I am glad you liked the story, :)**

**SAS,(it easier to type) Thank You ! :D :D**

**Disclaimer: Anything under copyright here is not mine. (Except The Frosts, Eva, etc etc)**

Eva walked up to her room, mulling over the events of the evening. She came to know she was to be betrothed to Black; it was a shock when Blake told her about it, and he thought she would do better if she knew beforehand. Where she was lucky to get her outburst before, venting her frustrations at a brother who was pretty exasperated by the end of it, she knew Black didn't get that luxury. His eyes spoke every word his mouth couldn't in public. The glares he sent his mother made her think, if looks could kill, they would all be attending a funeral right now. Then he came up with the plan to postpone the ceremony, a prank of firecrackers which, she thought thanks to her, was quite successful. They had seemed to be getting on normally, if all the bickering could be called normal. But he had to come and ruin it. He had left her feeling humiliated. Maybe she was exaggerating this a bit, but she couldn't help play that almost-kiss over and over again and cringe. She hated herself for it. For anticipating it with a flutter when he was that close. She felt like she wanted to scream but obviously she thought better of it. The feeling in her chest, it felt as if a monster was clawing at her in mock. How she hated it.

She slipped out of her dress and let her hair out of the bun once she was safely in her room. Walking into the shower, she let the warm water pound against her skin, hoping it would wash away the shame and disgust with everything else. After the shower, she felt marginally better as she changed into her pyjamas and dried her curls with a simple spell, glad she was now of age. Eva plopped down on one of the large cushions beside the large window. She stared out into the darkness where soft tufts of white were falling to the ground. It was the first snow of the season, first Christmas snow. Her mind wandered to the day where she had been exactly in the same place when her mother had stepped in. Eva was now expecting her any minute, knowing there was no escape and she was probably in for much worse after the night's event. And, sure enough, a few minutes later her mother entered the room with a wicked smile on her face.

Sirius sat at the desk, contemplating whether or not to write that letter to James now, or later. There was certainly a lot more to write about now and he was not sure how much of it he wanted to put on paper. The day had made some drastic changes for him. While starting the day with a normal fight with Eva, he did not think his perception of her would change so easily in just a night. But did her perception of him change too? He was quite sure it didn't. At least it didn't look like it. The two of them being romantically involved was so farfetched that even a probable betrothal didn't bring him to accept it. But then again, he did think of her in a different light.

Sirius stood up on his feet, now facing the mirror. He was trying to read the person staring at him straight in the eye. He had black hair which was so messy; one would think it hasn't been combed through in months. His eyes were a hard grey but they were lacking their usual twinkle. Every line on his face seemed to etch the word "rebel" onto him but yet, yet that wasn't it. His attire was sophisticated; body language was prim, the blood pounding in the veins was "_pure_". He was everything he hated and loved, he swung from one extreme to the other. He was a Gryffindor. Yes he was one, but as much as he desired it, he wasn't Gryffindor through and through. There was still a nagging Slytherin in him, it just wouldn't die out.

Sirius yelled in frustration as he threw the nearest silver ornament shattering the mirror into thousands of pieces. He was heaving in frustration as he went near the shards of glass in which he still saw the same face he hated.

"You had better mend that mirror before I need to start mending you, boy," snarled a deadly voice behind his back.

Sirius turned around to find his mother glaring at him. He had never seen her this mad before. But that hardly affected him as he stood there unfazed.

"Mother how nice of you to visit again!" he spoke in a dry tone. "This is, what, the second time in a day? Really, never thought you had it in you."

"Watch that mouth of yours, boy. You have already done enough damage for a day."

"Mother, really! What did I do?" a falsely innocent voice retorted.

"What did you do? What did you do?" she spat. "How about ruining our reputations? You little piece of slime, you have tarnished the name of Black forever. Don't try denying it; I know it was you who created that ruckus down there."

"Slime?" he let out a bark of laughter. "Mother, are you sure you are not confusing me with dear Regulus? And, Mother, I would never deny anything half as great as that."

"Why you little-"

"Why?" he cut her off. "Why? Because you had me betrothed to that witch without even asking me! Did it even occur to you that I have a life aside all this crap I put up with? Mother, you have Regulus as your ideal son, get him betrothed, have expectations for him, make him the shining face of Black. But keep me the hell out of this." He finished.

His mother stared at him for a moment, before speaking. "If you would leave this habit of cutting me off, you may have known of this arrangement by day itself. But of course you don't care for any other's words other than your own. This is what your life is meant to be, and it is what it will be." She stopped for instant before a vile smirk crept up her face. "You have the Blood of Black more than you want to acknowledge, son. Shame you turn a blind eye to it." And with that she left, knowing she had given him an insult he could neither deny nor accept.

Sirius felt his jaw tighten at his mother's words. He knew she was right. She had always been right in this aspect. He was a pureblood, but more so, a Black Pureblood. Sirius looked back down at the pieces of glass, still displaying the same teenaged rebel of a wizard. The same wizard, whose eyes had earlier held hardness, now had a look of soft vulnerability. But this was before those very same eyes turned wide in shock and fear, for they had heard a word which would send chills down any spine.

Somewhere underneath his feet someone, no, some woman had just bellowed an Unforgivable Curse.

_CRUCIO!_

**A/N: now I admit this was not one of the best chapters and i had a tough time writing it, but it was needed. Now i have to point out, i seem to be updating every two reviews. TWO ! now i say i will not update until ive gotten more. sorry, but i am rather stubborn. do review ! even hate reviews will do , :D **


	9. Author Note

This is not an update!

I apologize to all the readers about the delay. The last two reviews made me realize that I have gone a bit too far with the delay this time. I have no excuse but the usual. I have been having a massive amount of workload. I sleep not before 3 in the night and am up all day with school and extra classes. But then again it doesn't help and I know how annoying it is not to have any updates.

I Must though insist that Its not that I have not been updating due to the lack of reviews. Instead I'm quite overwhelmed by the response. I have the next chapter written half way and you will surely get an update in the next couple of days.

I apologize again for the delay and thank you all for the reviews.

BlackMoonNight.

Update!: I have finished the chapter ! :D now its off to my beta. so it will come to you as soon as it comes to me. :D


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello ! first and foremost i apologize for the ridiculous delay. read the author's note before this for a proper apology. thank you all for the unexpected amount of reviews. honestly i expected five but this was just too good to believe. :D thank you for reading and faving and alerting this story. and now for the reviewers. :)**

**SAS: you have no idea how much i appreciate that. :)**

**a123hotie, Sirius doesn't really have it that easy but he stands up for himself which does make a difference.**

**Gigi, lalaland, naginastar, bob, lcd619 : thank you ! and see what happens next here. :P**

**kooliepenguinez: thank you so much. and i'm sorry i delayed it so much that you had to review twice. :( i hope you like this.**

**Pixie: thank you for that hate review. i think i needed it to bring me to my urgent senses. and thank you for liking the plot and Eva. :)**

**Sparkly: Hello again ! i was wondering where you were, but i am glad to have you back and that you still like the fic. :)**

**Disclaimer: Anything under copyright here is not mine. except Eva and the Frosts and the Plot.**

But there was no scream, no wail of agony. Sirius stood still for a few moments, his ears still ringing. In an instant, he found his feet running down the corridor and flying down a fair few flights of steps. His heart raced at the thought of someone being tortured right here, under his nose. He couldn't bear it, the only thing he had in mind at this point in time was that someone was down there and that someone needed his help.

Finally, he came down into the long, dark corridor along which lay the dungeons. The walls were damp and cold, sending chills down his spine. The corridor was still and silent. He didn't hear anything but his own heavy breaths. He lit his wand, muttering a _Lumos_. With the faint light at the end of his wand he started down the corridor. Most of the doors were caked in dust and cobwebs while the metal on them was rusted. These dungeons had seemingly not been used for a long time, yet Sirius was sure one of them had been used very, very recently.

After crossing a fair few doors he came across one which was held slightly ajar. His heart sped up as it creaked it open. He held his wand up higher so as to light a larger part of the dark dungeon.

"Hello?" he called out. "Is anyone here?" and then it clicked, "_Hominum Revelio"_ he spoke softly. But there was nothing. He had missed them. He was too late.

Next morning, Eva woke up to the familiar slight discomfort in her body. She had experienced this before, the feeling as if the layers of skin in her body had been pierced with thousands of needles. But thankfully it was now only a dull ache. Last night, of course, was an entirely different story. After her mother had left, Eva had called for Binky who had very nearly fainted at the sight of her. But using her magic, Binky had taken Eva up to her room and cast a fair few healing charms on her body. After the healing charms had been cast, and when Eva was finally able to breathe normally, Binky had given her a potion which gave Eva a much needed dreamless sleep.

This, of course, was another day. Eva had learned to put all this behind her. It was of no use to wallow in self pity. She had received this treatment far too many times to be severely affected by it, and now that it was over, she would not think about it, not if she could help it. She woke up in a slightly groggy sate, which wasn't surprising considering the potion she had taken last night. Rubbing her eyes to get rid of the sleep, she bumped her shoulder into the doorway. Immediately she felt a sharp sting in her shoulder. She looked down to find a dark red bruise forming in contrast to her pale shoulder. This wasn't good.

She quickly took a shower and dressed in a long sleeved white jumper with a pair of blue jeans. She let her hair dry into their natural curls. She looked at herself in the mirror. Yes, she was back to her old self. The old, plain, serious Eva was back. She stared at her appearance a minute longer. She was nothing anybody would appreciate or desire, at least not in the looks department. Yes, she had the curves but her apparel was quite capable of not accentuating it. Last night was, of course, an exception, where she had to dress for her betrothal. But if it was in her hands, she would never be in that situation again.

Now, she turned back to the pile of presents waiting for her, if she didn't know better, she would think they were staring rather reproachfully at her for the delay. She picked up the first box, it was in deep blue wrapping and a note on it read "For my raven-y sister" she snorted as she recognised the scribble to be her brother's. On opening it she found it to be a set of quills, a quill from every bird she could think of and a pot of ink which would write in whichever ink you want by only saying the colour in your mind. Lisa, her best friend from school who was also a muggle born, had sent her a set of muggle literature while Rebecca, her other friend, had sent her a box full of every sweet available in the wizarding world along with a special box full of her favourite chocolate frogs. Eva suspected Blake to have something to do with the arrival of these presents in particular. Her mother had sent her the routine present, a book on their 'rich pureblood dynasty' which she had printed every year. Her uncles had sent her more books on various subjects, which may or may not be of much use to her. The Blacks had sent her a pendant with the black crest engraved in it. No doubt it was meant to be a 'welcome to the family' gift from them but she couldn't help but give a slight grimace at the blackening silver ornament.

This was her usual quota of presents, thus, she was surprised to find a small silver box sitting at the base of the pile. She picked it up and was curious to find out who it was from. But the note was unsigned, all it read was 'Just keep it.' She had no doubt it was from Sirius Black. She opened it to find a silver brooch; it was an intricately designed butterfly whose wings were spread out wide to reveal a deep blue motif. It was a beautiful ornament to say the least and Eva couldn't comprehend why he had sent her this considering their differences. Nevertheless she pinned it to her jumper, making a mental note to get him a present too.

Sirius had not slept well that night. He had been haunted by that curse to the extent that sleep completely evaded him. He had been up since the crack of dawn and since then proceeded to write the letter to James, take a long warm shower and finally get down to opening his presents.

He opened the topmost box from Remus. It was a book on self-control. Sirius couldn't help but crack a smile at this. He did need a bit of self control in his life. James had sent him the entire collection of the "Wild Witches," a band they had recently discovered which played rather inappropriate rock music. Peter had sent him a "Merry Christmas" card with a box of cookies. Sirius raised his eyebrows at this and was sure the rest had also got the same thing. His parents had gotten him a book titled 'Appreciating the Dark Arts'. He fought the urge to put the damn book on fire immediately and threw it to one corner of the room where the gifts from Bellatrix and the others lay. His brother had gotten him a vial of 'Felix Felicis' with a note saying: _I nicked it from mother's stock, use it well_. Maybe he gave his brother less credit than he deserved.

He looked at his watch to find it was still an hour to eleven, when he was supposed to meet Eva. He strolled down to the kitchens and grabbed a muffin, not really in the mood to go down into the dining hall and face the bats, as he fondly called them. As he went down the maze of the corridors he glanced at his watch again to see that he had half an hour to kill. He thought he might as well head up now if he wanted to reach it on time, considering it was on the sixth floor and he would have to manoeuvre through endless staircases and corridors. This place was worse than Hogwarts.

As he went up a staircase, his thoughts went back to the previous night. He was hoping it had been a dream but it was plain enough that it wasn't. He had no clue as to who had been in the dungeon that night and who had attacked who. He didn't even know that the person attacked was alright or not. In his letter to James he had mentioned the betrothal and the prank but left out the bit about the Cruciatus curse, not wanting to worry him. Apart from that he wrote the usual, asking the news of his fellow marauders who were spending the holidays with him and if they had managed to prank someone else. As his thoughts had kept him distracted, before he knew it, he was at the doors of library.

He was a good ten minutes early but not wanting to look like a fool standing at the doorway, he stepped inside. It was a large hall, lined with dark cherry wood bookcases on all the walls. There were bookshelves with their backs to each other at regular intervals. In each of these intervals were long dark tables with chairs to match.

He had expected the library would be empty, but to his surprise, he found Eva bent over a book biting her lip. She had her curls pulled back into a loose ponytail out of which a few tendrils hung loose. He had a sudden urge to pull at one of those curls just as she was doing, before he caught himself. What on earth was he thinking? He needed to get a grip on himself.

"You're here already?" he called.

At the sudden voice, Eva was startled out of the book. Her heart raced at the thought of being caught with the book, so she quickly shoved it down her bag. She looked up to find Sirius staring at her rather curiously. She pulled another book close to her before answering.

"Yeah, but I like it here in the library." At the look he gave her, which clearly said he thought she was crazy, she laughed and added. "But I can't say the same for you. What are you doing here early?"

He shrugged, saying "I had nothing to do. So you liked your present?" he said mentioning the brooch on her jumper.

She glanced down at the brooch with a small smile. "Yeah, thanks. It really is beautiful. Black, I'm sorry I didn't get you a present. I'll get you one soon for sure."

He just waved away her apology and came to sit down beside her. He peered into the book in front of her. Her heart and mind seemed to be in a race as to who ran faster at the close proximity.

"You can read upside down? I'm impressed Frost. I knew you were good at reading, but this good? Really, I had no idea." He smirked.

"Huh? What are you-" but she glanced down to find the book was really upside down. Her face flushed. "I-this-nothing. This is nothing. We should start on the research." She said standing up, not wanting to spend any more time this close to him.

"You start there and I'll go on the other end." She said, pointing him to the other end of the bookshelves. He stared at her for a moment before trudging down to the aisle. An hour later they each had a pile of books ahead of them as they skimmed through the ones in front of them. Sirius, though, was soon exhausted as he leaned back into his chair and yawned. He glanced sideways to find Eva with her head in her hands as her eyes ran over the words in the book.

"Do you always do this?"

"Hmm?" she mumbled.

"Typical." He muttered. But unfortunately for him, Eva chose that very time to become attentive.

"_What_ is typical, Black?

"Nothing."

"It was certainly not nothing. Spit it out will you?"

"Fine! You are typical! You and your bookworm ways. You live and breathe books don't you? I could bet you haven't looked ahead of a book for even a moment. You don't know what life is. No wonder you are in Ravenclaw." He finished.

"And you mean what exactly by that?" she snarled. "Are you trying to say that reading or trying to learn is wrong? And what did you mean by 'no wonder I'm in Ravenclaw? At least we aren't foolhardy and proud like you Gryffindors are." She stood up from her seat. "You know what is so typical of you? You think _you_are the supreme being and everything you do is right. Maybe you aren't so different from your family, Sirius Black." She spat as she turned to leave. But before she could, a hand clasped around her arm preventing her from doing so.

"Take that back." Sirius snarled as he drew himself to full height. "Now." But as he tightened his hand around her arm, she visibly winced. She seemed to be in pain as she bit her lip, trying not to cry out.

"Wh-what's wrong?" he said, startled as he let go.

"Nothing." she gasped out, turning to leave quickly.

"Wait a minute." He took hold of her again, but this time gently as he pulled her sleeve back. He did not expect the large red print of a hand on her forearm steadily darkening into a dark red. He immediately let go of her arm as he spluttered. "I-What-I didn't- really- not mean to-"

Eva gave him a grim smile. "I know. It's not your fault."

With that Eva quickly left the library, leaving a gaping Sirius behind. As she left in a hurry, the book shoved roughly in her bag fell out. She didn't seem to realize as it did, though Sirius did. Picking it up off the ground, he read the title.

'Unforgivables and their Unforgivable Side effects'.

**A/N: i hope you liked it. i made a point to make it longer to make up for the delay. and do review like you did previously. :)**


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: Should I apologize? NO? I knew it.. :( but for those who said yes in their mind, I am really very sorry. **

**being a 15 year old girl who is a science student, fanfiction writer and a student who has her exams in 2 weeks is not a good combination. therefore one of them has to go. if it was in my hands i would hang exams but as its not, our poor fanfiction has to bear the brunt. as you would've guessed by now I wont be updating before my exams end which will be on the 28th (dodges rotten tomatoes.)**

**now I realised that i did not thank my awesome beta last time. sorry for that, A big round of applause for my brilliant Beta, SailingAwaySoftly ! :D**

**thank you all who alerted fav-ed etc the story. and thank you all for the great reviews :)**

**SAS, I hope you'll get your answer in written words in this chapter. :) and thank you so much ! and thank you for telling others abt this fic. :D**

**amrawo, koolieopenguinez, lcd619, EponineandMarius, 4good, thank you ! and here is the update for you ! :)**

**Sparkly, :D im glad you liked the chapter. but here our duo make a bit progress. ;)**

**Lone Panda, I am so glad you liked it. I hope you find this chapter just as good. :)**

**twelvepastnever, I know things haven't been the best for Eva as of now but as you will see they get better ! :)**

**Disclaimer: anything under copyright here is not mine, except Eva and the Frosts.**

Eva strode out of the library at top speed. Her heart never seemed to stop racing these days. Once again her heart was racing along with her thoughts. He had seen it, or rather done it. But what had he done? He had hardly touched her, okay a bit more, but not hard enough to make a print. He was sure to ask questions. The questions she asked herself, not receiving any answers. Some life she had.

Her worries carried her out of the mansion and into the grounds. Around her was a thick quilt of white snow. It was biting cold, but thankfully, not with a biting wind. She walked up to a nearby bench, cleared the snow and warmed it with a single flick of her wand. Sitting down on the warmed bench, she started mulling over the excuses she could cook up for him while tugging at a stray curl of hair.

Sirius was stunned yet again. What had just happened? He couldn't believe he had done that. He wasn't that hard was he? But then how could he explain the print? He ran a frustrated hand through his long hair as he tried to comprehend what had taken place. As he hung his head, he caught a glimpse of the book he had just picked up from the floor. It had fallen out of her bag as she had raced out. It was of a dark blue colour, the velvet seemed coarse and faded over the passage of time. The book looked ancient judging by the state of its bind and covering. Sirius turned the book over to see the title which was engraved in elegant silver letters, 'Unforgivables and their Unforgivable Side effects'. His eyes grew wide, and he thought, _what the hell._

Unforgivables? Why was she reading this? Could she be interested in this stuff? He had never known her to be remotely attracted to this stuff. But, then again, he had never _really_known her that well. Her family was not much different in this aspect from his. He couldn't say for sure. But, but for some reason he couldn't believe that she would be into dark arts. As cheesy as it sounds, his heart didn't believe it. Then why, why was she reading this book? There was also a page marked by a folded corner. Why did she try to hide it from him? Well, if she tried to hide it, she definitely didn't want him to know.

Sirius walked out into the corridor from the library. His mind was buzzing with a million questions, which only she could answer. As he was walking in a daze, his feet, brain and heart came to a halting stop. Could it be about last night? Could she know the victim? Did she know where he was?

His head turned to look out of the window he was beside. Outside, it seemed as if the whole world had been painted a pure shade of white. Everything was covered in snow, from pathways to trees, to flowerbeds to benches. Benches? His eyes caught sight of a bench which was not laden with snow. On the bench sat a figure, her face hunched down out of sight. He didn't need to think twice to know who it was.

Eva was still pulling at the curl, something she did when she was tensed which was now quite often, when someone came up behind her.

"Aren't you cold?"

"You underestimate me, Black." She sighed. "Take a seat and see for yourself."

Sirius looked sceptically at the back of her head, but then again she wasn't stupid. So trusting his instinct he took a seat beside her. And as she said, he had underestimated her. He did not feel the cold sting he had expected to feel; on the contrary he was greeted by warm wood. Once seated, there was an awkward pause for a while before Sirius decided to end it. He took the book and offered it to her.

"You forgot this back in the library."

Eva turned to find the book in his hands which was supposed to be in her bag, but obviously wasn't. Her eyes grew wide as she thought to herself, _he knows._But if he already knew, there was nothing she could do about it. She took the book from him with shaking hands.

"Did you read it?"

"No."

"No?" she looked up in surprise. He had a hard look on his face.

"Do you want me to?"

"Uh-I-I don't know." She said finally. "It would make things easier if you had read it but no, I can't say I want you to read it."

"What do you mean?" he said uneasily. She seemed to be fighting a battle with herself as she looked straight ahead. Then after a moment she opened the book to the page marked and handed it to him.

_ The Cruciatus Curse_

_The Cruciatus curse, or "CRUCIO," is the second in the unforgivable curses. It is the torture curse. It was used extensively in the Middle Ages when muggle hunting and victimising was at its peak. It was considered to be quite a success among the purebloods. The curse needs behind it the hatred and venom which is not uncommon among purebloods for the people of lesser blood, thus causing limitless pain._

_In experiencing the Cruciatus curse, the victim feels immeasurable pain, which at times may drive the victim to the edge of insanity. The few who after experiencing the curse have relived it have described it from the feeling of your skin being pierced in thousands of places to your blood put on fire._

_Though not cared for much, the Cruciatus does have not few but many side effects:_

_The Cruciatus curse performed on infants and young souls though rare an instance has taken place. It has been known to cause long term effects when used on children under the age of 7-8. Effects that have been observed do not exclude breaking breaths, brittle bones and reddening of skin..._

Sirius trailed away in horror. His breath hitched as he realized it was not that she knew who the victim was or where he was. She herself was the victim. But if her skin was reddening in context to the book then she must have been cursed when she was...

"It was you last night?" he whispered hoarsely. In reply all she did was nod softly.

"Who? And, why?"

She turned to him with disbelieving eyes. "You need to ask? Who do you think?"

"Your mother." He spat out with venom. His eyes turned hard.

With a small laugh she said, "Obviously."

"Since when?" he said pointing at the book in relevance to it.

She followed his gaze before answering, "When I was five. That was the first time. She doesn't do it often. Just a few times a year."

Sirius looked disgusted. He not only looked so, but he felt revolted too. Sure, his mother had performed the curse on him too, but not when he was that young. When he had been exposed to it, he was well within the age limit.

"Have you told anyone?" he asked in such a bitter voice which even surprised Eva.

"No."

"What?" he yelped. "Not even Blake?" She shook her head.

"He deserves to know," growled Sirius.

"No. He doesn't. It would make him feel helpless. He can't do anything to stop Mother. Even he is powerless against her, and she knows it." This time it was Eva who spoke in a bitter voice.

Sirius cursed under his breath as he ran a hand through his long, messed up hair. He turned to look at the girl sitting beside him. If there was anybody who didn't deserve to be caught up in all this, it was her. She did not rebel. She put up a brave front to the world and didn't let on an inkling of what she was going through. She did not do anything intentionally to 'disgrace' her family. It was not her fault she was unlike them. And somewhere, Sirius was happy that she was.

"We have some pretty messed up families." He said in a low voice.

Eva laughed openly at this and, giving him a warm smile, she said, "Glad you have that figured out."

Sirius gave a weak smile in return. He couldn't believe the girl wasn't in Gryffindor.

"Eva," he said addressing her by her first name. "I know how it feels to be the outcast and stuff, and I am not just saying this, if you ever need a friend in all this crap, remember, I'm here."

At this, Eva couldn't help but give him a hug. And as she put her arms around his neck, she knew that Sirius knew how grateful she was.

When she threw her arms around his neck, his own immediately went around her waist to bring her closer to him. As he bent his neck into the crook of her neck, he realised, he would never let her get hurt in the same way again.

**A/N: thank you for reading. :) and as you know there isn't going to be an update for a long long time. So as a sorry gift, here are some songs which are my favourites as of now, **

**Beautiful-Eminem**

**Not Afraid-Eminem**

**Permanent-David Cook**

**The Reason- Hoobastank**

**Rolling On A Burning Tire-Dead Weather**

**Never Too Late- Three Days Grace.**

**I hope you enjoy them . :)**


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: hello all ! :D I am Finally BACK ! :D Exams are done and over with so I came back to Fanfiction! Feels good to be back... :) Now sorry it took me a couple of days to get this chapter written down. But finally here it is, hope you enjoy it. :D**

**Thanks to anybody and everybody who fav-ed/alerted this story and a much louder thank you to my great patient reviewers who so kindly understood my dratted situation. **

**joelle8 & amrawo: thank you so much and here is the much awaited update! hope you enjoy it :D**

**Lone Panda: I know ... sad isn't it? but its all these very things that has made her strong now. I would never have her to be the broken one crying all over Sirius' supportive arms. :P thank you for understanding and you can count on me for never not-updating for a year. :)**

**4good: See they are not yet betrothed. So technically, Sirius has no power over them as yet. and moreover he had no clue she was being crucio-ed by her mother so he couldn't do much could he. and I think you are going to find this chapter quite to your tastes considering their feelings. ;)**

**Sparkly: Thank you so much ! :D (for liking the chapter and the luck for exams.)**

**EponineandMarius: Thank you, and here is the update. :)**

**A very big thank you to my incredible beta, SailingAwaySoftly. :D**

**Disclaimer: Anything under copyright is not mine, except for Eva, The Frosts and the plot. **

Eva felt his breath near her shoulder blade as his arms captured her waist. She found it was an odd sensation she was not accustomed to, as she caught herself wondering if this would happen more frequently. Her face flushed as she reprimanded herself for even allowing that thought to enter her mind. _Get a grip on yourself!_ Her head screamed at her. Nervously she let out a few coughs indicating him to let go.

Sirius wouldn't lie. He enjoyed having her in his arms. Her waist was slim enough for his arms to go around but thankfully she didn't feel like a stick in his arms. On the contrary, she fit rather well with him. He inwardly grinned as he thought he could hold her more often in the future. It was then when he froze. She wasn't his to-be-fiancée; she was his NOT-to-be-fiancée! This line of thought just won't do. He then heard her cough, voluntarily, so he quickly let go.

As they let go of each other, they each noticed how the other had a faint colour in their cheeks. Both quickly looked away to avoid any embarrassing situations. They sat in silence for a while, being careful to avoid each other's eyes. Finally it was Eva who first gained composure.

"So, you want to go back to library now?" she said carefully looking at his face.

Immediately his face turned into grimace at the suggestion. Eva burst out laughing. This was the very thing she had expected. She guessed he didn't like the sight of thousands of books lined in rows after rows.

"You know what? Let's skip the library for today."

His jaw dropped at her suggestion. "Are you serious?"

"No, you are," she responded with a smirk.

Sirius rolled his eyes at the lame, not to mention overused, joke. "No honestly, are you, Eva Frost, bookworm extraordinaire, suggesting we 'skip' the library? What has the world come to?" He said the last part in a dramatic tone, throwing his arms in the air.

Eva laughed as she stood up and pulled him also to his feet. "Yes, yes, the world just came to an end. But come on, I want to show you something. And besides I still have to get you a Christmas present." She then stopped to turn and look at him. "Oh and," she stood to her tip toes, to reach up to his face...

Her face was in such proximity that Sirius's breath caught. She looked into his grey eyes holding his gaze with her black ones. She only broke eye contact to glance momentarily at his lips and look back again. She bit her lip nervously but then seemed to grow more confident as she leaned in. _What the hell is she doing?_, thought Sirius in panic. His breath hitched as he was sure the very next moment their lips would collide. Moments went by, but that moment didn't come. Instead she reached forward next to his ear, "Merry Christmas." She finished with an award winning smirk as she walked off.

He let out a deep breath as she walked away. She was quite a few feet away when she turned around and called back at him.

"Sirius Black! Aren't you coming?" Her lips curled up in a smirk.

"Bloody minx," muttered Sirius as he jogged up to her side.

"Where are we going anyway?" he asked, panting slightly.

"You'll see" she said.

Once they had reached the apparition point, Eva took his hand in hers. He stared at her as if she had just lost her mind.

"Don't look at me like that, Black. You don't know where we are headed. You are of age aren't you?"

His eyes narrowed down at her. She obviously knew that he _was_ of age. "Exactly my point and, yes."

Eva just smirked as she held his hand more firmly and apparated them to their destination.

After a rather peculiar sensation and the feeling of hurtling down to gravity, Sirius and Eva landed. Sirius on the hard ground, which seemed to be made up of soil and roots, and Eva on a not-as-solid Sirius' chest.

"Oof! Get up woman! You are squashing me!" he croaked. Eva just rolled her eyes as she got up and dusted herself.

Once Sirius felt his lungs inflate again and came to the realisation that his bones were, in fact, still intact, he got up. He looked around to find himself in a small cabin which oddly seemed to be shaped like a slice of a round cake. The walls and roof was made up of wood while the floor was uneven in large roots and soil. At the narrow end of the cabin was a door which seemed to be carved out of the same wood.

"They've made it in the tree!" she cried.

"They? Who on earth is 'they'? And why the hell are we in a tree? That too incomplete!" Sirius spoke in an accusing tone.

"Shut up, will you?" she again took his hand as they went out of the room and into a rather narrow tunnel. They walked close to each other as it was rather dimly lit. After quite a long walk they finally neared the end.

On reaching the end, they came to a huge door which seemed to be a giant version of the previous one. Eva opened the large door to a blast of sunlight. Sirius held his hand up to shield his eyes.

As he lowered his hand, a loud shout of "WELCOME TO FESTIVE SQUARE" greeted him. What seemed like hundreds of little white elves dressed in red and green surrounded them. After the shout, they started chanting "We wish you a merry Christmas" over and over again.

_What the hell?_ was the only thought in his mind as he was pulled into the crowd of elves along with Eva. On looking back, he found that they had just been a giant Christmas tree decorated extravagantly. The room apparently had been in the trunk of the same. The tree stood in the centre of the square. All around them people were dressed in red and green laughing and chattering, a few walking in and out of the numerous stores all around them.

"Sir must be in a Christmas Spirit," squeaked one of the little elves. And before he knew it, his jeans and jumper were transformed into a deep red shirt and black jeans. Even these clothes complemented his well toned self. After giving him a long lecture on Christmas and the offers they had and the various goodies on display, they finally let him go.

Eva, on the other hand, seemed to have suffered a similar fate. She was dressed in a dark green halter dress with her hair left down, she also wore red flats. On taking in her attire, he realised it wasn't cold here. The snow that surrounded him was rather warm. In fact, it hardly felt as if it were winter. Instead it was warm, pleasantly warm. He trudged through the snow to where Eva stood. He almost stumbled into her as he struggled to walk in a foot and a half of snow.

"Does it hurt you to walk a bit too?" he asked exasperatedly once he had found his balance.

"Yes." She replied simply. "Now, would you like to grab something to drink? There is a place round the corner which serves excellent butterbeer."

"Yeah sure, but what is this place exactly?" He asked as he peered into a shop of quills as they walked down the pavement.

"It's Festive Square." She said with a grin.

"So I heard." His ears were still ringing with the shout. "Care to elaborate?"

"Well, this is similar to Diagon Alley; just it is always celebrating some festival or the other. They say every culture, every country has festivals. And they celebrate them all. So they end up celebrating a festival every day. Thus the name, Festive Square. Oh here we are!"

They had come to large wooden double doors which read, 'Barley's Bar'. Sirius snorted at the rather ridiculous name as they entered it. Eva threw him a dirty look. The place was jam packed with people. Many of them were teenagers like themselves, while some odd creatures were present too. The bar seemed to be carved out of wood. The floor, the roof, the walls, even the counter was made of wood! But somehow it gave it a warm and homely feel. As they pushed through the crowd to reach the counter, a boy seemingly a couple of years older than themselves flashed Eva a brilliant smile.

The boy had medium length honey blonde hair which was ruffled in an adorable way. He had bright blue eyes and a rather mischievous look to him. He seemed built well enough, and Sirius caught several girls shooting him longing looks. He was the ideal bartender for any girl.

"Hey Eva," he greeted her. "Long time no see? Been wondering where you'd gotten to."

"Really? Missed me, have you?" she replied, obviously teasing him.

"Terribly." He smirked. "And looking at you today, I can't believe I didn't miss you more."

"Today? What's so special about today?"

"Just in case you haven't noticed, go look in the mirror. I would say you looked hot, but caring for my perfect face, you look rather good today." He flashed her yet another smile.

Eva blushed as she felt colour rise in her cheeks, which made an already red Sirius even redder. He had been standing next to her silently watching the two flirt shamelessly. He could not believe his eyes as he saw Eva do the last thing he expected her to do, flirt. Meanwhile the blonde bartender finally noticed Sirius. He looked between the two before asking, "And who is your friend here, Eva?"

"Oh, I guess I forgot to introduce the two of you. Sirius, this is Ryan. Ryan, this is Sirius, my-" but before she could complete her sentence, Sirius interrupted her.

"Boyfriend."

**A/N: Did you like it? if you didn't I blame my exams for making my brain all rusty. anyway, do leave a review. :D**


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry for the delay but it seems my teachers are as bad as the Hogwarts ones right before the OWLs... oh well, nothing can be done about that. thank you for all the alerts/favs..**

**Thank you to my Lovely Beta, SAS, for taking out time in her busy schedule, :D**

**And MY REVIEWERS, :D**

**Joelle8: :D now that was one energetic review, :D read ahead !**

**Twilight-Luv: Thank you, :D and here is the update.**

**lcd16: :D thank you, thank you ! :D **

**Anjalit2624: hahhaha, a review is all i ask for, long or short doesn't matter ! :D and homework pain, i totally get it. **

**Lone Panda: Thank You for liking Ryan ! i thought he was a bit stereotypic, but still ! :P now I couldn't think of a place to fit the location of Festive Square in the story, so i'll just add it in a paragraph at the beginning. **

**Disclaimer: Anything under copyright, is not mine, except Eva, The Frosts and THE PLOT !**

**[**this is a bit more info on Festive Square,

Festive Square is a place right in the heart of Antarctica, it is magically sustained. As no muggle has ever managed to actually explore the entirety of the island, it is still unknown to muggleman. It is place where it is, to provide a neutral aspect to its locale. The square itself is managed by the resident elves, while the stores are by their owners. It is a hotspot all year round and caters to the world.**]**

RECAP: "Boyfriend."

As the word left Sirius' mouth, two jaws fell open. The one in front of him quickly turned into a smirk while the one beside him still hung open in disbelief. His arm went around her waist as he pulled her closer.

"Close your mouth, love. Not that I mind you being so eager, but this is not really the place."

Eva's mouth quickly snapped shut as she glared at him venomously. Sirius Black had a reason to fear for his life.

Ryan, on the other hand, couldn't help the smirk plastered on his face. "Whoa Eva, didn't know you had it in you. I gotta say, I'm impressed," he said with a wink.

"Shut up, Ryan," she hissed.

He turned to Sirius, "You're the Sirius Black guy, aren't you? I remember you," he chuckled. "Pity I passed out last year, you guys would've been a thing to watch out for."

Sirius grinned at him, Eva still glaring between the two. "Thanks mate, we are anything and everything one would want to see, right love?"

Eva gave him yet another death glare, "Sirius Black, you are so dead."

With a small flick of her wand, she had wordlessly silenced him. Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but upon realising she had silenced him, he quickly shut his mouth, not wanting to look like a gold fish.

"Ryan, I would appreciate it if you kept this quiet, I have a reputation to worry about."

He chuckled again, "Sure thing Eva, but you know what? You can have your butterbeers free today."

Once they had their butterbeers in hand, they went in search of a table. Thankfully for Eva, they found one in a slightly secluded spot at the back of the bar.

Setting the butterbeers down, Eva sat on one of the sofas and pulled Sirius down beside her by his collar. She glared at him for a few seconds, but he only looked back at her smugly.

"What the hell was that?" she snarled.

But Sirius just shrugged at her, and his smug look turned into a fully fledged mocking smirk.

"Look Black, I have no idea as to why the hell you did that back there, but if you don't explain this very second, I will permanently wipe that smirk off your face."

As she hissed the words, Sirius, for the first time in his life, felt a little scared of a girl. He straightened his face and pointed to his throat, indicating he couldn't speak due to her spell. Eva let out an exasperated sigh as she muttered the counter spell.

Sirius coughed a bit as the spell was lifted. "Jeez, you are nothing like the other girls," he said, his voice a little hoarse as if it were unused for quite a while.

Eva raised her eyebrows at this, "And pray tell me what do you mean by that?"

"I mean exactly what I said. While other girls are pretty, beautiful, approachable, you are-"

"I am?" she said in a low, dangerous tone. "I am what?"

"Uhh," Sirius started, not quite sure what would be the safe thing to say.

"No. You know what? Just let it be. I don't want to hear how great your other some million girlfriends were and how you can't even stand my company. I am sure you find me a bit drab, don't you?"

"I-"

"Of course you do, if not then why would you stop Ryan back there? Am I so disgusting that you can't even bear another guy appreciating me? "

"I don't-"

Eva got up from her seat and threw a few sickles on the table, Sirius made to get up too but froze when she turned on him, "Sirius Black, if you value your life, or at least any of your vital organs, you will not follow me."

With that Eva left the table and rushed out of the crowded cafe decorated with holly and Christmas decorations. Once at a safe distance, Sirius scrambled out from their table and ran after her, but by the time he reached the counter she was already out of the place.

"Dude, if I were you, I would be careful. Eva has quite a temper," a voice chuckled behind Sirius. He turned to find Ryan leaning over the counter.

"I know, and somehow, I always manage to get the worst of it."

"Oh, you haven't even come close to that. That is why I say be careful. You don't want to lose your chance."

Sirius looked at the older boy for a moment, "Mate, I was kidding earlier. We aren't together, in any way."

"I know." Ryan grinned and with a wink turned back to his other customers.

Sirius stood there for speechless, for a while, before remembering that he doesn't know the way back. _Shit._

He raced out of the bar. Once out, he looked in all directions but nowhere could he see her mop of curly hair. He swore in frustration as he started searching through the crowd for her. He could see everyone and anyone. He even thought he saw a few faces repeatedly, but not hers. He peeped into a few stores wondering if she had slipped into one. But his search came to a stop not when he found her, but when his eyes grew as wide as saucers. He stared at the window of the shop not unlike a child eyeing a candy shop. But it was not a candy shop, instead it was Quidditch shop.

The words, "Classic Quidditch" were moulded in metallic brass and the lustre still magically remained on the large board seated above the store, but his eyes were caught by the object encased in a glass box, resting on blue velvet inside it. It was a broom. A broom of a dark red wood handle, and green tinted twigs with its name carved in gold at the end of the rich handle, "Thunder 101-Christmas Edition".

Sirius mentally recited its full specifications, being always up-to-date in such cases. He had intended to buy a broom the day he separated from his family, but this one, it was too good to pass on. The Thunder Series was the most elite range of broomsticks available and this specific model, being the high-end one, would surely cost a fortune. But hell, he was ready to empty his Gringotts account for it. Just as he was about to enter the store-

"Black!"

He turned to find the original object of his search standing behind him flushed with annoyance.

"Do you intend to come back or not? Because honestly, I have no problem leaving a jerk here. The elves may teach you some manners."

Sirius opened his mouth to retort back but shut it immediately. He knew she was angry and her anger was speaking, but he was wise enough not to help it escalate to the extent that she may hex him into oblivion. He gave the broom one last longing glance and came up beside her as the two began their journey back to the tree.

Once back in the grounds, they parted ways. Eva leaving for the library and Sirius, well he left to rue his fate.

**A/N: Sorry for the shorter than usual chapter... but lets hope to hit 50 reviews this time. :D**

**now the 50th reviewer gets to request a oneshot regarding Sirius and Eva, please provide some guidelines but do leave some room for improvisation. :D **

**thank you for reading, and do leave a REVIEW !**


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: alright people, this is late and delayed and worst of all unbeta-ed. so this might not be that great a chapter. but the unbeta-ed thing will soon be rectified. i will update the chapter as soon as I get the beta-ed version. Now is it 1st October where you are? It is? then great ! I am 16 ! :D From where I am, I am already 16. so happy birthday to me ! :D**

**this chapter is a treat for all my lovely reviewers, and as i wanted it up today itself, it's unbeta-ed.**

**IT'S NOW BETA-ED BY THE GREAT SAS ! :D**

**Now the reviews !**

**Joelle8- I know... Sirius seemed daft no?**

**the pixie-like vampire- thank you ! :)**

**Aurora Orchid- :D :D I am SO glad to see you, thaaank you. and i tried messaging you on FB but didn't get a reply. And I am really glad that you liked Sirius. and do keep in touch. And also you are the 50th reviewer ! :D so you get to demand a one shot. :D**

**dimfishlovesparamore- thank you so much ! and about the one shot, as its my birthday, and i am feeling especially hardworking, you can have your one shot is you want ! :D**

**Lone Panda- No matter, this review does the trick. :D**

**Disclaimer: anything under copyright under someone else is not mine, but Eva, the Frosts AND THE PLOT are !**

Once they separated, Eva hurried to the library. Spending the day with Sirius, she realised she couldn't be with him and last her life. However many times she had questioned her reasoning and had been tempted to give up, she now knew what she had to do. His ridiculously good looks, the attractive way in which his lips curved, almost challenging her, his wayward personality had charmed a small part of her initially. But she knew she couldn't possibly take his arrogant attitude. Hell, this day had been an eye opener. His gifts, his smiles, his offers of friendship had been misleading. And it was believable enough for her to trust him with her deepest secret. All she hoped was that he stood true to his Gryffindor chivalry and did not divulge her secrets. But she knew this too: although he might not actually do the deed, he could certainly threaten to. His pompous and smart-aleck side could easily hold this against her, and to add to the mix, he would find endless fun in it.

So as Eva entered the library, her mind considerably irked, she had a scowl contorting her face. She quickly rounded up the volumes they had taken out earlier the same day, shrunk them and placed them in her small bag. Next, she proceeded to look up every book, series, manuscript, letter, and illustration she could find that even remotely related to her interest. She packed them all in the same way and rushed back to the safe confinement of her room.

On reaching her bedroom, she found a brown barn owl patiently waiting for her with a letter. She opened it and found a letter saying her package had been delivered to the place intended. She gave the owl a treat and let him go. As she slunk down in front of the large fireplace and proceeded to pour over the great volumes in her bag, she had a satisfied thought in her mind. _She always kept her word._

Sirius strolled the grounds until it had grown dark. The twilight had come and past him by as he continued to rue over his fate. His life had taken an odd turn this Christmas. He was to be betrothed to a girl he barely knew. And now that he had known her for a little over a day, known her for what she was, he couldn't help but feel a slight sense of restraint but a greater urge to go closer and, if possible, deeper. But somehow, with her nearby, he lost his trademark suaveness. It was as if she matched him better than himself. His ordinarily unaffected self tended to grow more fazed in situations involving her. With her, he was opening up, his guards being let down and in the process becoming more vulnerable.

Sirius only made his way back to the castle when he felt the cold seep into his skin through his thick layers of clothes as the rain started to fall down on him. He didn't have to walk far considering his room was around the back, but nevertheless it was enough to have him shivering by the time he reached it. Without looking around, he went straight into the washroom, waiting for some hot water to pulse down his skin.

Once he was considerably warmed, and his limbs had lost any sort of numbness attained by the cold, he stepped out of the shower, and toweled himself dry. As he pulled his jumper over his torso, he spotted a long package lying on his bed. His breath caught in his throat as he guessed, by the obvious shape of the package, what it was. He quickly searched the wrapping for any paper-note informing him the name of the sender. But as he couldn't find one in the next ten seconds, he lost patience and ripped the packaging off. Into his hands fell the very same broom he had been ogling at earlier that day. The dark red wood handle and green tinted twigs were the same. It was a surreal experience handling the broom, touching and caressing each inch of the smooth wood. The broom buzzed in his hand; he knew it was very powerful, and he could feel himself almost making a connection with the broom itself. As he came out of his reverie, he realised the broom would've cost a fortune. He knew the only person who could've known about it, and he couldn't help but wonder why she had gone to such lengths even after the disastrous day they had shared. Well, there was only one way to find out...

Sirius reluctantly left the broom in his trunk (that is after casting a wide range of security charms). He then hurried to Eva's room through the dimly lit cold stone corridors, wanting to reach her as soon as possible. Though what he wanted to say to her, he was not quite sure of. Should he thank her for the present, even though he had caused her a significant amount of trouble? Or should he be apologising for the said trouble? Well, he would just do both, he thought as he reached her room.

His was panting due the brisk walking he had done to reach her bedroom, but his breath caught in his throat as soon as he took in the sight before him. He stood in the doorway as he saw her. In front of the fireplace lay thousands of books, and among those thousands of books she sat. She had spread herself over the carpet as she turned from one book to another, before coming back to the previous one. She had her hair down, and it had curled itself around her shoulders in an unruly manner. She had a pair of glasses on as she sat in her black woolen pyjamas with white polka dots. She seemed strangely in her element, and Sirius couldn't help but smile a bit at the scene.

"I assume you know it's rude to stare?" she said without looking up.

Sirius felt his smile turn into a grin at this, "Yeah, but never really paid attention when we were sent to etiquette lessons."

"That is obvious," muttered Eva.

Sirius chuckled as he sat down beside her. "I can't recall inviting you in," she said, finally looking up from her books.

"I can't recall being banned from this room either."

"Oh yes, you can!" she spoke in a huff, "Remember in second year? You had levitated all my books? I distinctly remember banning you from my room."

Eva flushed a bit when she saw his amused face.

"Yes, I remember. You have quite a memory, don't you?" he asked in a whisper. Eva looked up to find him staring into her eyes.

"Eva, thank you for the present. I know it was you who sent it," he added quickly as her mouth opened in retort.

"But it wasn't needed. Really." He shook his head.

Eva's mouth curved into a sarcastic smile. "No, you didn't deserve it. But it was needed. I always keep my word, Sirius."

Sirius smiled at her. "You are right. I didn't deserve it. Especially after how I behaved at the bar." He took a deep breath as he took the next track. "I don't know what happened to me today. I'm not normally like that."

"No," she interrupted. "You aren't. You're not the suave, classy, confident guy with a big ego you are at Hogwarts, not this time. Why?"

"I-I don't know," he said after a pause. "I almost feel mentally affected."

Eva smiled grimly. "Or maybe emotionally?" With that, she turned back to her books as Sirius stared at her.

"Take that book over there," she pointed her finger to one at the top of a pile, "and get reading. We need to find something to help us as soon as possible."

Sirius did as he was told, still baffled by her earlier question. They sat for probably a good hour, pouring over books after books.

They worked in silence, only speaking to point out something of importance. They continued to work in the same manner until they were disturbed by a knock on the door. They looked up to find Blake peering into the room. He quirked an eyebrow up when he saw the two sitting together among the pile of books.

"Eva, I need to talk to you," he said.

Eva shared a curious look with Sirius as she got up. Blake sent Sirius a small wink accompanied by a very suggestive grin over Eva's shoulder. This caused Sirius to roll his eyes and grin back at him.

Seriously, he didn't know what he would do without Blake around.

**A/N: I hope you liked it. do ,leave a review :D**


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N: Alright here we have chapter 14. This Chapter is especially for Frosty Autumn, who took the trouble to give such a well thought out review. Thank you. :)**

**Now, another big Thank you to my great Beta SAS. :D**

**Frosty Autumn- ( :O ) I thank you again for the great review and for loving my story so much. I am also very sorry for the delay in updating.**

**the pixie-like vampire- Of course, So would I ! :P**

**DimFishLovesParamore- Thank you so much ! :D for the one-shot, PM me with the details. :D**

**Joelle8- Thank you for reviewing again. Keep it up, I love your reviews. :D**

**Chuck Norris Worshipper- :O thank you ! and I am glad you find my story better and different from the others. :)**

**Lone Panda- I can sympathize with anyone who has to go to school. Its pure torture! oh well, such is life, October baby too? yes I am, and guessing from the "too" you too are an October born, Happy Birthday! (belated or in advance) and yes here we have the next chapter with more of Eva. :D**

**saraxoxo253- Thanks. :)**

**Disclaimer: Anything under copyright, is not mine. ( except Eva, The Frosts, and the PLOT)**

Once Eva stepped out of her room, she found her brother staring at her with an eyebrow quirked, _trying_ to look questioning, but failing dismally. Eva grew more annoyed by the minute as she saw amusement flicker on his face.

"What?" she spoke, finally.

"I see you're getting along rather well with your to-be-betrothed. Good for you, sis!" grinned Blake.

"Blake, what do you want?" she asked, exasperatedly.

"Why are you dressed in pyjamas at seven in the evening?"

It was pretty early in the evening, and Eva was not sure why she had gotten into her bedclothes, so she simply said the first thing that came to her mind. "They're comfortable," she shrugged. "Is that what you came here for?"

"Eva, you do know its Christmas right?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"Well, our lovely mother has decided to have a Christmas dinner. With both the families, in full attendance."

Colour instantly drained from her face. There was never a Christmas dinner in their family. Well, there was the usual Christmas ball, but even then Eva would always find a way of sneaking off. On occasion, when the ball had been cancelled due to weather conditions, she always spent the night with Blake, Sirius and Regulus, playing some odd game or the other. But a 'Family Dinner'? This was definitely a first.

"You're kidding, aren't you?"

Blake sighed as he shrugged his burly shoulders, "I wish I were. The old bat is thinking up of new ways to get on our nerves. Anyway, get ready for dinner. Mother wants us present in the dining hall looking our best," he spoke the last line in an imitation of his mother. He felt he did it quite well.

"Oh, and you can bring your to-be-fiancé along. I'm sure mother won't mind." He added with a wink.

"I-What-him-No!" spluttered Eva at her brother's retreating back. She inwardly cursed her mother. She didn't get why they had to have this dinner. She never felt the two families were ever warm towards each other, there always seemed to be a strained formality between the two blocks. She knew it was all pretense, a stance put to show for the wizarding world.

She turned around and went back in. She opened the door to find Sirius leaning back on his arms. He seemed to be gazing thoughtfully at the fire. She contemplated for a moment how the firelight illuminated his features, but a moment later she snapped out of it.

"So, did you find something?" she spoke, her arms crossed over her chest.

Sirius' head fell back as he looked at her, upside down. A smirk grew on his face.

"Yeah, I did as a matter fact." She quirked her eyebrows at him, questioningly.

He chuckled before responding, "I found that I like your room better with you in it."

Eva felt her eyes narrow and her cheeks flame. He was probably the only person to walk this earth who could infuriate and flatter her at the same time "Well unfortunately for you, neither of us will be in here much longer. Our mothers have decided to have a Christmas dinner together. So move it. Go get ready. I'll meet you outside the Dining Hall in half an hour."

Sirius fell on his back, simultaneously letting out a groan. A moment later he sprang to his feet. He dug his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"Do we have to go?"

"Do we have a choice?"

As Sirius sighed and trudged his way out of the room, Eva turned her back to him and headed for the mirror. But before she could see her reflection in it, she turned around to face him.

At the doorway, Sirius looked back at her and spoke, "Eva? What time do you usually go to sleep?"

"Eleven. Why?"

Sirius smirked before leaving the room, "No reason."

Exactly thirty minutes later, Sirius stood at the closed doors of the Dining Hall, waiting for Eva. He was dressed in pair of jeans in a relatively good condition, coupled with a black dress shirt whose sleeves he had pulled up to his forearms. To add a bit of a colour to his outfit he had a green tie tied around his neck. He had pulled his hair back into a ponytail for a slightly formal look.

As he waited, he impatiently kept glancing at his watch every few seconds. But he didn't have to wait too long. A few minutes later, Eva came, walking down the corridor, dressed in black, from top to toe. She wore a black dress which barely came up to her knees. It had a single sleeve which covered the full length of her right arm but left the other completely open. She wore black heels and her hair was in its usual open curls. As she came up to him, she offered him a small smile.

Sirius nodded at her in return, before offering her his arm. She took it after a moment and the two proceeded to enter the Hall.

They entered the hall to find it in pitch black darkness. The only light illuminating a small section of the room was of a single candle placed over a beautifully set up table for two. The table top was sprinkled with rose petals, and a fine deep red wine half filled the two glasses, set opposite to each other. As they approached the table they found a note addressed to them. A note which made Eva seethe in anger and made Sirius give out a snort of laughter.

_My dear love-birds,_

_I took the privilege to organize a formal evening rendezvous, especially for you. This does seem better than lying on a shoddy carpet, amongst a number of textbooks, no?_

_I assure you, no one shall disturb you and the food shall appear when you desire. You can thank me later._

_Your ever considerate brother,_

_Blake._

Eva could see red now and was ready to go and strangle her brother for this. Her irritation was at its peak when Sirius decided to comment, "He doesn't know, does he?" he smirked.

"No." She hissed. "Obviously, not."

**A/N: So how did you find it? Review people! :D**


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N: I know it has been a long time. I'm not going to apologize for not updating because I've had a lot going on in my life, which took a while to deal with. But I guess you can expect more updates as my exams are about to end and holidays will soon begin ! :D**

**A big thanks to all my reviewers, I really am grateful for your support. This chapter is for you ! :)**

**Disclaimer: Same as in the previous chapters.**

"The brat! Who does he think he is? 'A formal evening rendezvous' my foot!" ranted Eva under her breath, but still audibly enough for Sirius to hear it all.

He leaned against the table in amusement as he watched her stomp to the doors; bang them with a fist, only to find them locked. She then tried to unlock them with magic, but it seemed Blake was a step ahead and all her attempts to unlock the damned door failed.

She sighed as she came back and sat at the table he leant against. He saw her pulling a curl, which he had grown to realise she did when she was worried or deep in thought.

"You do realise we wouldn't be here if he knew about it, right?"

Her eyes snapped up to where he was standing to send him a glare, "So, what? This is my fault now?"

"Well, it most certainly isn't mine. Blake seems innocent enough as he didn't know about our-opposition, if you may- and seeing as you are his sibling, it would've been in your part to make that clear to him. So, yes, I would say, it is your fault." It seemed Sirius didn't like this situation anymore than she did. Sure, he enjoyed annoying her and seeing her go red. But being locked up in a dark hall with her, a candlelit dinner table for company, and it being called as an 'evening rendezvous' was not done.

Eva held her gaze at him for the entire extent of his tirade. The emotion in her eyes changed from angered, to indignant, to resentful, to tired. He was right. She should've told Blake about it all. It would've caused no harm and it would've definitely done well if it would have stopped this from happening.

"Alright, I guess you're right in saying I should've told him about it. But honestly, could anyone have foreseen this?" she said irritably, gesturing to the scene around them.

Sirius shrugged as he took his place on the table before her. Once they were both seated in their respective places, the atmosphere became slightly awkward. The moment was meant to be romantic, a loving couple, spending an evening together, a candlelit dinner to celebrate Christmas. But anyone known to the two people sitting opposite each other would know that was a rather farfetched dream in their case.

"Oh, what the hell" grumbled Sirius, illuminating the entire hall with a flick of his wand. He saw Eva shoot him a grateful glance; apparently, she wasn't too comfortable with that setting either.

"So, it seems we're stuck here aren't we?" he spoke, trying to make a conversation.

"Yes, that does seem to be the case." She nodded.

"Well, in that case, given the chance, I vote we try to get to know each other better."

Eva quirked an eyebrow up at him, she simply didn't get this guy. A moment ago, he seemed pretty annoyed at having to spend the evening alone with her, and now he wanted to 'get to know each other'. "What's the point? It's not like we need to know anything about each other, we aren't intending to get married. And moreover, we know most of the stuff we need to know about on another."

Sirius snorted at her words. "You seriously think you know all there is to know about me?"

Eva smirked in return, "No, I don't recall saying that. What I said was, we know most of what we need to know about each other. Or what would've been painfully obvious, after spending all those holidays together."

Sirius gave her a curious look as he leant back in his chair, throwing one arm over its backrest. "You know, I have an idea, why don't we play a small game? We both ask questions alternately; you either answer truthfully, or keep mum. The questions will be directly related to the person sitting before you. How does that sound?"

Eva leant forward, as she rested her arms on the table. "It sounds intriguing to say the least. But, pray tell me, why I should play this game with you?"

"For a number of reasons. One, it'll help pass time. Two, I want to know more about you. Three, I know you are really, very curious to know more about me too and lastly, as we all know curiosity killed the cat, I don't want you dead."

Eva couldn't help but let out a smile at that. "You go first."

Many glasses of wine and a good half an hour later, they knew all they never bothered knowing. Eva came to know Sirius broke into the Quidditch team in his second year, had been best friends with James since his first, his first crush had been the muggle, Eva Longoria, and Herbology was his worst subject. Sirius came to know the names of all her best friends, her best subject was Charms, her worst was, well, none of them and she would rather be caught dead than on a broom.

"I see you like Black?" said Sirius.

Eva was slightly surprised at his question. She glanced down at her clothing and replied with a smile, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I love black."

Sirius smirked at her, he had her right where he wanted, "Really now? I had no clue you had the hots for me!"

Eva gazed back at him for a moment before giving out a crooked smile, "Oh no! Whenever did I say your name? Actually, I have secretly harboured a crush for Regulus for quite a while now."

Sirius' mouth fell agape. That was certainly not what he expected. "Well someone has clearly had too much wine."

Eva laughed out loud. Sirius gave a small smile as he saw her laugh. Her laugh was nice, very nice. It wasn't limited to be ladylike nor was it very wild. It was uninhibited, free. And he liked that.

"Your turn." He said leaning back in his chair.

"Okay, who is your favourite cousin?"

Sirius' face became grave at word 'cousin', "I don't have a 'favourite' cousin. Though probably Andromeda is the most bearable."

Eva looked about to comment, when Sirius cut her off, "Let's just leave this here, I'd rather not talk about it."

Eva nodded in understanding, not wanting to push the sensitive topic further. She told him it was his turn next.

Sirius closed his eyes for a moment as he contemplated what to ask her. When he opened his eyes, they were full of mischief and he had a wicked grin to match.

"Tell me Eva, who was the lucky guy who gave you your first kiss?"

Eva's glass of wine froze at her lips. Her cheeks immediately flamed to a rather ripe colour as she shakily put the glass down. She was avoiding looking up at him, knowing the mocking smirk that would be in place.

"I think I'll skip."

"I think not," he countered. "Come on! You can tell me, I'll keep it a well guarded secret for the rest of my life." He spoke with his hand over his heart.

Eva shifted in her seat awkwardly; this was not where she wanted this conversation to go.

"I-well-" she stuttered.

Sirius mischievous eyes suddenly turned wide, "You haven't kissed anyone. Have you?"

"No! I have!" burst out Eva, "I mean, kind of, if you could call it that. It was nothing big..."

Sirius gazed at her in wonder for a bit, sinking back into his chair from which he had come forward. "I don't believe it. Eva Frost, Flirt Extraordinaire, has not kissed a man in her life."

"That bothered you didn't it? This morning?" she said with a smirk.

"Ah, but that's not the point, love. Seriously, you haven't? And you are of age? You _are_ straight, aren't you?"

Eva glared at him, "Of course I am! What do you think? It's just that I never got the right opportunity, or the right guy." She said in a huff.

Sirius smirked at her words, "I'm sure we can fix that. Here, right now."

Eva's glare turned into one of disbelief, "W-what? What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm saying, love, what better opportunity could you get? A candlelit dinner, an accomplished, experienced man, and its Christmas! What better way to end the festive season than this?" he spoke slowly, getting up from his seat and walking over to hers.

"Y-you have lost your mind. You must've had too much to drink. I think we should leave now." She got up and tried to go past him quickly.

But Sirius was quicker. He caught hold of her arm and slowly pulled her back to himself. She was flustered, no doubt about that. But he enjoyed having her flustered, especially for himself. She was looking anywhere but at him, silently trying to pull her arm from his grasp. Sirius, though, had no intention of letting go. He placed a finger underneath her chin, and lightly but firmly, guided her face upwards. Again, she wouldn't make eye contact.

"Look at me." He whispered.

Eva reluctantly moved her gaze upwards. She almost gasped when she looked into his eyes. The silver gray in them held such intensity that it very nearly scared her. There wasn't a trace of the mockery or mischief that had earlier been there. Now it seemed if they held pure, raw emotion, but what that emotion was, she couldn't place.

As they were engrossed in looking into each other's eyes, a lock of hair fell into her face, breaking the contact as they both glanced at it. Sirius gently tucked it behind her ear. And before she knew it, in a swift motion, he had pressed his lips to hers.

Eva's eyes flew open before shuttering closed again. His lips were incredibly soft on hers, as he gently placed small, light kisses on her lips. His arms wound around her waist, pulling her in closer towards him. Eva, too, responded by placing her arms behind his neck, one hand going into his hair.

When he realised she wasn't pulling away, he took it as a sign to go forward. He gently licked her lower lip, slightly nipping at it, requesting entrance. Eva hesitantly parted her lips, but lost all hesitation when he reached into her. It was an explosive experience, she felt overwhelmed, pleased and wanting at the same time. He guided her along with himself, going slow. He was tender but firm, not wanting to let her pull away- he was enjoying this way too much. The two only pulled apart when they thought it would be fatal to kiss anymore.

They took heavy breaths, taking in air as much air as they could. That had just left both of them, breathless. Sirius leant his forehead against hers. She had been perfect, arguably given him the best kiss he had ever experienced. She wasn't too short, or too tall. Neither too eager, nor too reserved. Perfect.

"Thank you," he whispered against her lips.

"What for?" she murmured.

"For letting me be your first. It meant a lot." He said gazing into her dark eyes.

Eva gave him a smile, right before pressing her lips to his again.

**A/N: Do leave a review !**


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hello everybody! hope 2011 is treating you well. :) If it isn't, don't worry we're in the same boat. Anyway, here I am with another chapter of Black Frost. I sincerely hope you enjoy it. :D**

**P.S.- I don't know if you all know, a two-shot has been written about this story. Go have a look if you already haven't. **

**My lovely, compassionate, considerate and utterly great reviewers, Thank You! You all gave a great response to the previous chapter. :)**

**Disclaimer:**** Anything under copyright, is not mine. ( except Eva, The Frosts, and the PLOT)**

Eva woke up to the sun beaming in through the windows, blinding her for a moment. Her eyes crinkled as they adjusted to the brightness in her bedroom. She blinked a couple of times as she sat up, trying to place the reason for the dull throbbing in her head. A minute later her eyes grew wide and she fell back into her pillows with a groan.

Her inexperience with alcohol had clearly done her in. She had too much wine. More than she could handle, at least. Last night had been... Wonderful, exhilarating, and utterly, completely wrong. She was not supposed to kiss Sirius Black! And he most certainly wasn't allowed to be her first kiss. This wasn't good.

If they were to work together to find a way out of this mess, this betrothal, there couldn't be any sort of feelings developing between them. With that thought in mind, Eva went in search of a cure for her hangover, making up her mind to squash any iota of feelings she developed for Sirius, and more importantly, to never touch a drink again.

In the last two days, things had changed so drastically. From hating her, to gradually developing a dull respect, to realising what she had gone through, becoming sort of friends, to _now_. What was 'now'? Truth be told, he had no idea. And somehow, he felt it was better this way. Admitting to the feelings they had for each other would complicate things, as if they weren't complicated enough as it is. But still, despite his reasoning, he couldn't deny the fact that he was attracted to Evelyn Frost.

"Damn!" He thought, as he sat at his writing desk, trying to complete his Transfiguration essay. "What has the world come to? I like Eva-_bloody hell_-Frost."

He let out a groan as he spotted the huge blot his quill had made in the parchment. Just then, a large eagle owl swooped in through his open window and sat at his shoulder. Recognising it as James' owl, he took the letter from it. The owl cocked its head to one side as if trying to figure out what had gone wrong with him. "Hey there birdie!" greeted Sirius with a grin. That owl saw him more than his parents did. It gave an indignant hoot as if it were insulted by the odd name.

Sirius opened the letter to find James' squiggly handwriting say,

_PADFOOT!_

_Mate, are you serious? Betrothal? With Evelyn Frost? You're kidding, right?_

_I don't believe it. Moony here says you're Sirius (seriously!), it's not something you would joke about. But mate, if this is a prank, you've totally lost it. Try something a bit more believable next time, yeah?_

_Anyway, how did your Christmas go? The bats got any better? No? I thought so. What did you get for presents? Wormy sent me a Happy Birthday card and some cookies. You got that too? I don't know why we took the guy in._

_Anyway man, see you at school. Keep in touch._

_Prongs._

_P.S.- I sent Lily a present too, you think she would've liked it?_

Sirius quickly took another piece of parchment and wrote a quick reply.

_Prongs,_

_Listen to Moony a bit more, yeah?_

_Padfoot._

Rolling up his letter he gave it to the owl sitting on his shoulder, Sirius said, "Here birdie, go give it back to your fool of a master. And peck him a bit too." With another hoot, the owl flew out the same window it had flown in to.

Sirius kept sight of the owl until it was a speck in the clear sky and had finally vanished. He pondered over James' letter. It was obvious he didn't believe him. Heck, if James turned up one day and said he was betrothed to Bellatrix, he would've promptly taken him to the Hospital Wing. Well, not that his situation and the example he was putting forth were similar, but it still outlined the unbelievable change his relationship with Eva had undergone. Damn it, he could not believe he actually _fancied_ her.

Eva, after taking her hangover potion, having a long, hot shower, and after shooting a fair few profanities Sirius Black's way, sat down in front of the piles of books left from last night. Last night, she cringed at the thought. Well, pushing it away, she took the first book she could get her hands on and started going through it. After skimming through eight books, more than three and a half thousand pages, and probably a zillion sentences, she shut the book and proceeded to wonder if murdering Sirius Black would be an easier option.

But much to her added frustration, the object of her not-so-pleasant thoughts, entered her room. "Why do I always find you here, in exactly the same position and same expression, whenever I attempt to locate you?"he said in a slight teasing tone.

"That's because unlike _some people_ I enjoy my room and the privacy I once used to get with it." She got up from her books and turned around to face him. "What do you want, Black?" she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, we are still on last names? Even after last-" but before he could complete his sentence he was cut short by her.

"Last night did not happen. It was a mistake I made after I had too much to drink. I was not aware of my actions," she hissed.

"Well, I would think you were plenty aware of your actions. Considering how adeptly you kissed me back," he said with a smirk.

"I was drunk! And I dare say you did not fail to take full advantage of that." Even Eva knew how false her words were, and somewhere, a small part of her looked back at her rather reproachfully.

Sirius' grey eyes turned stone cold. And when he spoke, his voice did not lack the sharpness his features held, "Advantage, you say? I had no clue I was being forced into marriage with such a soft and fragile person. I apologize for taking advantage of you, damsel. I assure you that will not happen again unless you and I are locked in a hall with more wine than your delicate self can handle."

Eva inwardly cringed at his harsh words but didn't let it show. After all, she had called for it. Instead, she simply nodded in response and said, "I'll talk to him today myself."

"I thank you," Sirius said shortly and turned to leave the room without a word.

As he walked out of her room and into the cold stone corridors, he thought that this woman was bipolar. He might've been attracted to her, but all the attraction had just been dealt with rather well. He shall not marry her even if hell freezes over.

Once he was gone, Eva plopped herself onto one of the cushions in front of the fireplace, wondering if what she had just done was worth it.

In another room, in the cold mansion, Walburga Black sat in one of the plush armchairs beside the crackling fire. She sat, staring far away into the fire, randomly thinking why its colour was such a loud red when it could have been a much sober green.

It was precisely when this thought entered her mind that Irene Frost entered the room. "Good day, Walburga," she said, announcing her arrival.

"Good day to you too, Irene, do take a seat," she said, waving towards the armchair in front of her. "Would you like something to drink?"

Mrs. Frost took her seat with catlike grace before answering, "Not at all. I'm fine, thank you. In fact Walburga, I had come to invite you to tea. Accompanied by our children of course."

Mrs. Black raised a questioning eyebrow at this, "To discuss the details of the rescheduled betrothal, I assume?"

"Of course, join me in the rose gardens promptly at four o'clock. But I do suggest you have a talk with your son before."

"I will. And I expect you will have one with your daughter as well? We will surely join you to tea this evening." She spoke with an air of finality, indicating the conversation was over.

Mrs. Frost nodded stiffly, got up and left the room in one fluid motion. Mrs. Black turned her gaze back to the fireplace, another thought crossing her mind. _A vile woman, if I have ever seen one._

**A/N: Thanks for reading, and do a leave a review! :D**


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N: AND I AM BACK ! :D **

**Yes, yes, I know... Its been long. Way too long. And I have been inactive for months I think (just a couple, dont take it into multiples! :O) . But now I am back. To finish what I started! :D **

**P.S.- A big sorry to Lone Panda for not updating. She once said that she hated authors who dont update for months together. Just so you don't hate me, this is for you ! :D**

**Enjoy this chapter ! :D **

**Disclaimer-******** Anything under copyright, is not mine. ( except Eva, The Frosts, and the PLOT)**

Eva had sat in front of the fireplace, staring into its riveting flames, for quite a while, thinking of the past few days with Sirius, the previous night, the not so pleasant conversation they had held today, and now that she had to tell Blake that they were actually trying to stop the betrothal. It surprised her that Blake thought they wanted to go through with it, what with the entire ruckus on Christmas Eve, not to mention her extreme reaction when he had told her about it.

But it seemed he either didn't pay much attention to it, which was extremely unlikely or he was turning a blind eye towards the entire situation, which was very unlike him. She sat there, pondering how to approach Blake with the matter, until her eyes started to water from the heat being emitted by the fire. She got up, threw on a jacket over her jumper and walked out of her room, headed towards Blake's.

She reached his room, and decided to knock before entering. She had come across his night suit, or rather lack thereof, one too many times. She only proceeded to enter once she had heard the muffled "Come in" from the other side of the door. Entering, she found Blake with his head buried in one of his large drawers, apparently searching for something. He was already dressed in his work robes. Apparently, the holiday season was not meant for all.

"Hey." Eva said, her eyes moving over the mess in his room.

"Hey, Eva. Say, have you by any chance spotted my wand? I swear I left it right there." He said, pointing at a pile of rubble, which could have actually been clothes.

Eva rolled her eyes as she scanned the room for the wand. It didn't take too long to spot. Sure enough, an ebony stick was sticking out of his bedcovers. Eva pulled it out and thrust it at him. "You're lucky you didn't snap it into two while you were asleep, you oaf!"

Blake grinned in thanks, as he took his wand from her. "What would I do without you?"

Eva smiled, "Be indebted to Ollivander."

"True, true." He grinned. "So my magpie sister, how was your night?" he said with a wink.

Eva's smile instantly dropped as she started shifting nervously. "Yeah, about that..."

"You want to say something?"

Eva stood mum for a few seconds. She took a deep breath as she finally mustered up the courage to let it out. She had just opened her mouth to say something, when she quickly snapped it shut. With a billow of robes, their mother entered the room.

She wasn't in the best of moods. Her lips were pursed and her posture was stiffer than usual. But then again, it wasn't like she was pleasant otherwise too.

"Evelyn. Here you are. I have had the entire place searched for you. What are you doing here?"

But before Eva could give a word in her defence, her mother spoke again, "Never mind. Blake, could you give us a moment?"

Blake looked hard at his mother, "Mother, as a matter of fact, you interrupted us, here. I'd like to complete my conversation with Eva. So, I think I'll wait. I'm sure whatever you want to say can be said in front of me."

Eva sent a grateful glance towards her brother. She had never felt happier for having him as a brother. Mrs. Frost sent a cold glare towards Blake. But when he didn't respond apart from raising an eyebrow at her, she huffed and turned towards Eva, "We are having tea with the Blacks this evening, in the rose gardens. Be presentable and," Mrs. Frost paused, as if she were choosing her words carefully, "I expect your full cooperation in furthering these matters. Do you understand?"

Eva just nodded in return. There was not much she could do, until they could find a way out of the betrothal. Mrs. Frost nodded at both of them and left the room, swiftly. Eva breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she was gone. She then turned to Blake, "Blake I-,"

But Blake seemed to be in a hurry, "You can thank me later, Eva. I have got to reach the offices before its too late."

"No, wait! I had to tell you something."

"Sorry, Eva. I can't listen right now. But, tell me tonight. We'll have cocoa!" he said with a wink and a wave, before she could say another word.

Eva groaned.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Black too, was going to have a talk with her son. She had just pinned the last bit of her hair in a bun before turning to her husband. Orion Black was sitting in an armchair by the fire, reading the Daily Prophet and muttering bitterly about some Nita Skeeter, writing ridiculously cooked up stories about pureblood families.

"Orion, dear. Do you have any idea where our eldest son might be?"

Mr. Black turned to look at her incredulously, "Walburga, you're asking me? I hardly ever see the boy. What do you want him for, anyway?"

"We are to have tea with the Frosts this evening. I'd like to have a talk with him regarding his behaviour. Especially, after what happened at the betrothal. I would not appreciate a repeat performance of that."

Mr. Black chuckled at her words, "Walburga, I doubt you would just "talk" with boy. Let me talk to him."

Mrs. Black was astounded at his words. Her husband was never one to take interest in their family. He preferred keeping away. So, now when he said he would like to speak to his eldest son about the aforementioned matter, it most certainly came as a shock for Mrs. Black.

"You?"

"Yes. Why? Is there a problem?" asked Mr. Black.

Mrs. Black kept her lips pressed for a while before shaking her head, "None at all. Just, please impress upon him our message."

"I will." said Mr. Black, as he closed the paper and got up to leave the room.

Mr. Black walked out of the room he shared with his wife, and promptly felt the cold hit him. He pulled his robes closer to himself as he walked down the corridor. If he knew his son, by his distant observation, Sirius would place himself in the most uncomfortable situation, only to be more comfortable.

Sure enough, right on turning round the corridor, he found Sirius leaning on the stone railing on the large terrace.

After leaving Eva's room, Sirius had gone straight to the Owlery. He intended to write to Remus, asking him to find something that could help. He would have anything! Even the smallest bit of information would do. He just wanted to be out of this house, this life. There was no way he was going to stick around here any longer. Come next summer, and he was gone.

Once written, Sirius watched the owl fly away with the letter, until it wasn't a tiny speck in the sky. He sighed as he thought about this morning. He was many things, but he wasn't a guy who would take advantage of a girl, any girl, especially not _this_ girl. It disgusted him that that was what she thought of him. As he recalled the incident of this morning, his blood boiled once again and he stomped out of the Owlery.

But somewhere along the way, he lost his steam. After walking aimlessly for a while, he found himself leaning against the stone railing on one of the large terraces. He stood there, staring into space; a small smile came over his face as he thought about his friends, his _real _family. The Marauders. He knew that come what may, those people will always want him, and will always be there for him.

It was then when he felt a presence of a man beside him.

**A/N: Now catch hold of me with your reviews, so that I just have to update again ! ;)**


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